You Make Loving Fun
by MoaningMyrtle123
Summary: AU. This is a story about magic and magicians - but please don't let that put you off! Naomi is a magician in Vegas, and dreams of becoming a headline act. But is magic really the only thing she has room in her life for?
1. Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas

**Well, my fingers were just itching to get writing again, so here we go. It's time for me to bring you all into my world. No, I'm not giving all the characters ADD, I'm writing about magic. This story is set in Las Vegas, one of my favourite places to visit (think about it - I don't think it's _possible_ to get bored in Vegas). Although I know quite a bit about magic, sadly I don't know what it's like to work as a magician in Vegas - but a girl can dream, right?**

**Magic is my most favourite thing (well okay, _second_ favourite ;) ) so I hope I can make it interesting to read about. Title comes from the Fleetwood Mac song - the quote below should explain why. I once used this song to perform magic to in a stage magic competition that I entered. No, I didn't win. (I would have found a way to mention it before now, if I had!) **

**So after some trial and error, my medication seems to be at the right dose and I am doing pretty good (aside from some erratic mood swings, that will hopefully settle down). But as before, no promises about how often I will update. **

**Enough from me. Hope you enjoy!**

**Myrtle**

* * *

You Make Loving Fun

_I never did believe in miracles,_

_But I've a feeling it's time to try._

_I never did believe in the ways of magic,_

_But I'm beginning to wonder why._

Chapter One: Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas

Naomi

I sighed softly to myself as Cook's mobile went straight to his answer-phone.

"Fuck!" I cursed, rather louder than I intended. I stared at my phone, as though willing it to reveal Cook's whereabouts. Where the hell was that stupid prick? We were supposed to be in rehearsals, but Cook was AWOL - again. If he wasn't so damn good at what he does, I would probably have sacked the stupid fucker long ago. It wasn't even the rehearsals that I was bothered about this time. I had just received an interesting tip off that the hotel we worked for was planning to add a new headline act to its entertainment line-up, and I wanted to be a part of the new plans. The hotel manager was going to be spending the whole afternoon in meetings, and I had a short window in which to ambush him with my suggestions. Ideally, Cook and I would have made a combined front, but it looked like I was doing this one alone. I shoved my phone into the back pocket of my jeans, and headed for the elevators.

I emerged on the fourth floor, the administration centre for the hotel. I walked along the plush carpet towards Mr Tomone's office. Mr Tomone was the hotel manager, and took a personal interest in the running of every single department - which made him a difficult man to get hold of. I stepped through some large glass doors to reach the waiting area outside his office. It was an elegant room, with several large, comfy looking leather sofas. Mr Tomone was used to having people waiting for him. His secretary Nadine was sat at her desk typing away. She was immaculately dressed as ever, in a tight pencil skirt and tailored blouse. Her hair was scraped back into a perfect bun, not a single hair out of place. She looked every inch the perfect secretary that I knew her to be. However, I also knew that Nadine liked to let her hair down - in every sense - in her free time. She flashed me a huge grin as I approached her desk. I grinned back at her. Nadine was the source of my tip-off, and had texted me the news just a few minutes ago. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I had cultivated her friendship in my six months of working here, but I had certainly seen the sense of being nice to someone in such a role as she had. Mr Tomone was a very busy man, and never saw anyone without an appointment. The problem was that getting an appointment in the first place was an almost impossible task. I didn't like resorting to such tactics as this, but I was willing to do whatever I could to get my shot at being a headline act.

"Is he still in there?" I whispered, pointing at the office door. Nadine nodded. "Thanks for the tip off. I owe you one."

Nadine tilted her head to one side and smiled at me.

"Just get that Cookie Monster to buy me a drink sometime."

Before I had a chance to answer, the door to Mr Tomone's office opened, and the man himself emerged. He was dressed in an expensive looking pin-stripe suit. Between him and Nadine, I felt severely under dressed in my battered old jeans and faded t-shirt. I had dragged my blonde (and a little over-due for washing) hair back into a messy ponytail, and had no make-up on. It was a far cry from how I looked during a performance.

Mr Tomone walked with purpose towards the glass doors. His head was buried in a manila folder full of papers, but I stepped immediately into his path. He stopped abruptly and looked up with a slight frown on his face.

"Mr Tomone" I began hastily. "I know you're looking to revamp the entertainment schedule, and I'd love to talk to you about my ideas."

His frown deepened, and he moved to walk around me. I anticipated his movement though, and fell into step alongside him as he headed out of the waiting room and towards the elevators.

"We're looking for something _different,_ Miss er..."

"Campbell. I know that - that's why I wanted to talk to you. An up to date magic show could be the best thing to..."

Mr Tomone ground to a halt and held up a hand to silence me. Reluctantly, I closed my mouth. He pressed the button for the elevator and gave me a friendly smile.

"Miss Campbell, I like your show, I really do. It's a lovely little draw for the families on an afternoon, but it's just not right for a headline show."

"But I'm talking about a different show" I argued. "One with pizzazz, and wonder. A huge spectacle that leaves the audience gasping with amazement and clamouring for more!"

Mr Tomone chuckled softly. A low 'ping' announced the arrival of the elevator, and with it, the closing of my window of opportunity.

"Just hear us out" I begged, in desperation. "Listen to our ideas before you make any decisions, and then you can..."

"Okay, Miss Campbell" He said with a grin as he stepped into the elevator. "Fix an appointment up with Nadine. I think I've got some time free on Friday."

As the doors swung shut conveying Mr Thomas away, I couldn't help but do a little victory shuffle across the carpet. An actual promise of a meeting to listen to our ideas was the best that I could have hoped for. Then I got my brain in gear. Today was Tuesday – which didn't give us very long to come up with the show that I had just claimed to have. Especially considering that we had two shows to perform between then and now. I had to find Cook. I stepped back into the waiting room to get the appointment fixed up.

"Book me an appointment on Friday!" I told Nadine with a wink. She reached for the huge tome that was Mr Tomone's diary.

"Eleven thirty okay with you?" She asked, as she flicked to the right page. I nodded. To be perfectly honest, I would take an appointment in the middle of the night rather than miss out on my chance. Nadine wrote it in the diary then flicked it open to today's page. I glanced down at it and noticed that the 'Fantasy' show had an open audition this morning in the smaller theatre. At least the mystery of Cook's whereabouts was solved - 'Fantasy' was the hotel's topless review show. I knew from long experience that the prospect of several scantily clad young women was too much temptation for Cook to resist.

* * *

"It's perfect, Cook. This is just the chance I've been hoping for" I hissed. Cook nodded vaguely. I could tell that I didn't have his full attention. We were sat towards the back of a small theatre within the hotel. The stage was full of women in skimpy training wear and high heels, being put through some basic dance moves by the casting director for 'Fantasy'. It was supposed to be essential personnel only for the auditions, but somehow Cook always managed to blag his way into them. I was trying to tell him all about our upcoming meeting but whenever I spoke too loudly, the casting director turned around to throw me a greasy look. He was on the verge of throwing us out, which would suit me fine but would hardly get Cook in a good mood. I was desperately trying to focus Cook's mind back on magic, but I was fighting a losing battle.

Cook and I had been working for the past six months at The Garda Resort and Casino, in Las Vegas. It was a beautiful new hotel situated on The Strip. Like most Vegas hotels, it offered a variety of entertainment throughout the day and evening. Our magic show was in the afternoon slot, designed to entertain families. We regularly played to quite respectably sized crowds, especially considering the lack of publicity our show was given. Advertising the show just wasn't a priority for the hotel. The management only had eyes for a bigger share of the gambling profits that were made in this town. That meant bringing the adults in during the evening, not the families during the day. Therefore the big budgets went on the evening entertainment. A spectacular show would bring people flocking to the hotel – and a lot of them would remain there afterwards to play in the casino. It was how Las Vegas worked, and I wanted my piece of it. A headline act was a thing to be celebrated. Top names in Vegas could play to sell-out crowds night after night, and earn themselves a fortune in the process. This _had_ to be our time.

"Yeah, babe" muttered Cook. "Just chill, will you? We'll be ready in time. We can easily... would you look at those legs? I wonder what time they open!"

I sighed to myself and wondered, not for the first time, how a man with such cheesy chat up lines as that had so much success with the ladies. There was no chance trying to have a proper conversation with Cook now, so I settled myself more comfortably in my seat and turned my attention to the stage. I had to admit, there were some beautiful ladies up there. My attention was particularly caught by one girl in a tight, leopard-print leotard, who seemed to be arguing with the director. She was waving her arms about animatedly. Her voice carried across the almost empty theatre.

"I'm way prettier than most of these skanks!" Her unmistakeably English accent immediately reminded me of home. I chuckled to myself. She was certainly very pretty, and with her bright red hair she was sure of standing out from the crowd, but I could see straight away what the problem was. So too could the director.

"Look honey, you're just not tall enough, okay? You're gonna look like a Hobbit if I put you in the show!"

The girl was wearing the highest heels that I've ever seen, but it was still clear that she was a good few inches shorter than the required height.

"A fucking _Hobbit!"_ Shrieked the now enraged red-head. Cook bellowed with laughter, clearly enjoying the show. I turned away. I had seen more than enough girls getting angry at the fact that they didn't 'measure up' in one way or another to the showgirl standard. As I glanced around the room, my eyes fell on a girl sat along the other end of the row from us. I couldn't quite place what it was, but something about her captivated me. She was watching the scene on stage intently, her face showing a mixture of concern and what looked like weariness. She had brown hair and was simply beautiful. I knew it wasn't just her beauty that drew my eyes to her though. She had a certain _quality_ about her that I just couldn't put my finger on. As I watched, she rose to her feet. The red-head must have finished her argument and been dismissed by the director, because she stepped up to the girl I was watching, grumbling about how much prettier she was than the other girls. It was then that I noticed the similarity between them. They were clearly sisters, and most likely twins. That must have been what captivated me about her – that I had seen her likeness only a few seconds earlier. The one with brown hair was dressed much more casually than her sister, in skinny jeans and a close-fitting t-shirt. As I looked at the two girls chatting to each other, a vague shadow of an unrefined idea leapt into my mind. I reached across and tapped Cook's arm.

"Cook!" I growled, as I struggled to draw his attention from the stage. Eventually he looked at me, and I nodded in the direction of the two girls. "Look. Twins."

A huge grin spread across his face.

"I like your thinking, Blondie! One each, eh?"

I rolled my eyes at him. Could he possibly leave his dick out of this for one second?

"No, Cook" I said firmly. "I was thinking for the show. We could use them as assistants, like... one person can be in two places at once or something." I sighed as Cook just frowned at me. I knew it sounded pretty pathetic like that. I wasn't really sure how to describe it - all I had was just a hazy idea of how twins could feature in a magic act. As the twins stood up to leave, I decided to seize the moment for the second time of the morning. "Come on" I said with finality to Cook. I rose to my feet and followed after the twins as they made their way out of the theatre. Over my shoulder, I heard Cook grumbling his complaints about leaving the audition.

"But he'll be telling them to get their tops of soon!" He argued. I ignored him and carried on after my quarry. They had stopped just outside the theatre, clearly deciding their next move. I placed a friendly smile on my face and stepped closer.

"Hi." I gave them an awkward little wave, then immediately wished that I hadn't – it probably made me look incredibly dorky. Two identical pairs of chocolate brown eyes fixed on me. I took a deep breath and began. "I saw what happened." I gestured vaguely in the direction of the theatre. "It was pretty shit. I think you'd make a great showgirl." The red-head's eyes narrowed immediately with suspicion. I hastily carried on. "We're casting for a show soon, actually." I gestured between Cook and myself and prayed that he had enough savvy to just go along with my lie. "And I think you'd be perfect." Hmm, now two pairs of brown eyes were staring at me with suspicion. The red-head spoke.

"Look, if this is just a chat-up line you can forget it. We're both straight..." She cast her eyes briefly up and down me with a disdainful look on her face, before turning her attention to Cook. "...and you're definitely _not_ our type."

I swallowed my indignance at this woman's high opinion of herself.

"Look, I don't want to fuck you" I told her, a little harsher than I intended to. Maybe I should try a little harder to swallow that indignance. I held my hands up in a defensive gesture. "I'm being serious, we really do have a show." A look of interest crossed the face of the red-head, but her sister still looked suspicious.

"She's not a stripper" she said firmly. It was the first time I had heard her speak. Her voice was lower, huskier than her sisters, without the slight lisp that her sister had. I shook my head.

"No, not that kind of show. It's a magic show, so you wouldn't even need to be topless."

"Well let's not be too hasty about _that_" added Cook. He was stood immediately behind me by now, so a swift movement backwards of my elbow took the wind out of him as retribution for the comment.

"I'm being serious" I continued to the red-head. "I'm a magician, and I perform a show right here in this hotel. Look." I pointed to a poster for the show that was hanging on the wall nearby. Both girls turned towards it. I painted the ridiculous grin that I sported in the poster onto my face, and struck the same absurd pose. The brown haired twin chuckled. I couldn't blame her for that - it must be a pretty comical sight. The posters had been designed to give the impression of a fun and wacky show, so I had posed for a million photographs, each pose more embarrassing than the last. My pride at having my image put up all over the hotel had only lasted until I saw the proof for the posters. They had used one of the more ludicrous images and quite frankly, I looked like a complete oddball.

"So you're Naomi Campbell then?" Asked the red-head whilst scrutinising the poster. She sounded incredulous.

"Well, er yeah." I didn't even sound too sure about it, myself. I brushed some imaginary dust from the front of my t-shirt. Why couldn't we have been having a _dress_ rehearsal today? "And this is Cook. What's your name?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out" she said imperiously. I arched an eyebrow at Cook and knew from the slight nod that he answered with that he had accepted that challenge. The red-head nodded in the direction of a nearby bar. "Why don't you buy us both a margarita and tell us about this show." With that, she sauntered off into the bar with her sister following behind. I shot a quick smirk at Cook before following them in.

After buying four margaritas, I sat down with the other three at a table. The red-head reached for her drink straight away, and took a gulp.

"So, Miss Katie Margaret Fitch from England, born on the second of June 1987. Tell us about yourself" said Cook. Katie choked on her drink, before staring open mouthed at him. He held a wallet aloft in one hand, and a plastic UK driver's license in the other. "Hmm, cute picture" he added with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Give that back!" Snapped Katie. She reached frantically across the table, but Cook was ready for her. He leapt back from the table and danced out of her grasp. Katie scrapped her chair back and marched towards him. Fortunately Cook realised that it probably wasn't a good idea to antagonise her. He meekly handed back both items. Katie snatched them from him and sulked back to the table. She pushed the licence back into the wallet and stuffed the wallet back into her handbag.

"He's just kidding around" I explained. "I met Cook when he was a pick-pocket in New York."

"That doesn't surprise me" said Katie with a sneer. Cook just flashed her a huge grin and sat back down.

"I'm Emily, by the way" added the brown haired twin suddenly. "So you don't have to steal my wallet" she added. Emily smiled at Cook and seemed suddenly interested in him. "Did you really make a living as a pick-pocket?"

"Yep. That and Three Card Monte."

"What's Three Card Monte?" She asked. As Cook's eyes lit up, I decided to intervene.

"He can show you another time." I had no intention of letting Cook fleece the two of them before we had even got them on board for the show. "Let's talk about the show."

So Cook and I proceeded to do just that. It wasn't an easy task – trying to sell them a part in a show that may never even exist. Fortunately Cook and I had been blessed with the gift of the gab. We spoke eloquently about our plans for the new show – even though there _were_ no fixed plans as yet. We kept that teeny tiny detail to ourselves though, along with the fact that although we needed both of them for the act, only one of them would get the credit on stage. We could go through that part soon enough. I felt a little bit guilty about it, but I pushed the feeling down. Besides, it was Katie who wanted to be a star – Emily didn't seem to have the same inclination for it. She sounded very reluctant when she realised that it was both of them that we wanted for the show.

"Here's a couple of complimentary tickets for the show this afternoon" I said, after we had said as much as we could to persuade them. I handed over a couple of tickets, not mentioning that free tickets for the show were very easy to come by. "That way you can see our current show, then you can come and see us back-stage." Katie took the tickets and slipped them into her bag.

"Yeah maybe" she said with disinterest. "If we're free this afternoon."

Shortly afterwards, we parted company. Cook and I had a show to prepare for, and Katie insisted that she and Emily both had plenty to do.

"Do you think we'll see them again?" I asked Cook as we headed towards our rehearsal rooms. I knew that Emily wasn't keen, but I had found Katie harder to read. She had seemed so blasé about it all, but I suspected that it was just an act.

"Yeah, we'll see them again" said Cook with certainty. I turned towards him and frowned. How could he be so sure? I soon got my answer. "I've got her driving license again" he told me with a grin as he twirled a familiar piece of pink plastic between his fingers.

* * *

**So there we go. **

**I've decided to do what CSI does, and use a made up hotel as the main location. I will probably use plenty of real locations from Vegas as well though, but guess what? I don't own them. Or Skins for that matter, but you probably worked that out by now. Most magic show stuff that I describe will probably all be from existing acts that I've seen - don't own those, either! So if you'd like to know more about anything I describe (except 'how is it done') just ask. **

**Let me know what you think!**


	2. The Bartender And The Thief

**Thanks so much to those that reviewed, alerted etc for the first chapter. It's so nice to know there's some interest for this story out there.**

**I forgot to give thanks to girlno4282 in my previous author's note. I bounced some of my ideas for this fic around with her, and she assured me that my ideas weren't too mad. So in a way, if this story ends up being shit, it's not really my fault...**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter Two: The Bartender And The Thief

Emily

"Is that what you're wearing?" Asked Katie, in a tone that made it clear she thought I should be wearing something else. I just shrugged. I didn't really see any need to get changed to see the show. Katie had other ideas. "We've got to make a good impression, Emily!"

"You didn't sound bothered when we spoke to them this morning."

"Just playing hard to get" said Katie with a grin. She grabbed her make-up bag and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open. "May as well let them think I'm flooded with offers" she shouted through. "Although a magic show is hardly what I'd of chosen. Still, it'll probably be a platform to bigger and better things."

I sighed softly and wondered how Katie's confidence in herself managed to remain so unshaken. It had been her idea to travel to Vegas. She was convinced that she could make her fortune here. Not, as many deluded travellers to Vegas have thought, via the slot machines or a high stakes game of poker. Oh no, Katie's plans were much more concrete than that. She wanted to become a showgirl, and live the glamorous American dream. We had been in Vegas for about three months now, and Katie had gone to as many auditions as she could. But it was the same story every time: Katie just wasn't tall enough to be a showgirl. She had argued the point with every single director, but to no avail. One or two had suggested that she auditioned instead for the strip-clubs, but fortunately Katie drew the line there. Dancing topless on stage was one thing, but giving lap-dances was quite another. Besides, dancing at a strip joint didn't hold the promise of a glamorous lifestyle - and that was really what Katie was interested in. She wanted to mingle with the high-rollers and the celebrities that came to Vegas.

You may well ask why I came to Vegas. Well, I had no such dreams of becoming a showgirl. A life in the spotlight held no appeal for me. It was the chance for a change of scene that drew me to Vegas. I suppose you could say that I wanted to 'find myself', to coin a commonly used phrase. That probably seems quite pathetic to you, right? Running away from home on a journey of self-discovery, and the best I can manage is to follow in my twin sister's footsteps. That's always been the way, I guess. She's the one who craves the attention, I'm the one who follows behind her in the shadows. She's the one who will dance in the spotlight, while I'm the one holding her coat backstage. I wasn't even sure that Las Vegas was where I wanted to go, but Katie had been adamant that that was the place for us. And Katie always gets her way.

She emerged from the bathroom with her make-up now refreshed. She had changed into a floral summery dress. She looked me up and down and sighed.

"We don't have time for me to get changed now" I insisted. I didn't have any reason to make a good impression, because I had no desire to be a part of the show. That small fact didn't seem to make any difference to Katie though. I had spent the last couple of hours trying to explain that to her, but she hadn't really listened. For the sake of a quiet life, I had dropped the matter for now. But I was secretly hoping that nothing would come of our meeting with Cook and Naomi this afternoon.

"Come on" said Katie, grabbing her bag and leading the way out of our motel room. I snatched up my own bag and followed after her. We were staying in a cheap motel, a little way from The Strip. When we had first started planning our trip, Katie had wanted to stay at one of the luxury, themed hotels actually on The Strip. I had managed to talk her out of that, since our budget had to be more limited. We were a little bit further away from the main attractions of Vegas, but our accommodation wasn't bad. It was basic, but clean and well maintained. It didn't live up to Katie's high ideals, but it had to do for now. We headed across to the bus stop. On our first day in Las Vegas we had made the mistake of walking to The Strip, because the journey didn't look that far. However we soon learned that in Vegas all of the hotels are so massive, that apparently short distances can turn out to be anything but. Couple that with the baking desert heat, and a walk that would be an easy matter in England in mid summer, becomes quite an ordeal. Thankfully, buses were frequent and pretty reasonably priced.

As we waited for the bus, Katie started rummaging in her bag. She pulled out her wallet and began going through the contents, grumbling to herself as she did so.

"Have you seen my driving licence?" She asked with a frown.

"Not since Cook nicked it." Katie rolled her eyes at the mention of Cook.

"God, that guy's full of himself" she huffed. "I definitely put it back after he took it." She stopped her hunt, apparently frozen for a second. Then her jaw dropped, as realisation dawned. "Fuck! That wanker's probably taken it again! Right! I'm gonna knock that fucking smirk right off his face when I see him." I swallowed a smile, not wanting to antagonise her.

* * *

The show was in the same theatre that we had been in earlier for the auditions. It started promptly. We had barely been in our seats for ten minutes before the curtain rose. We saw Cook doing some magic for people in their seats before hand, but he wasn't close enough for us to see properly. He disappeared backstage just before the lights went down and the show began. Naomi walked out and stepped to centre-stage. She looked quite different to the girl we had met this morning.

"She's almost pretty when she makes the effort" whispered Katie. I didn't bother to respond to her catty comment. I thought that even without any make-up, Naomi looked beautiful. But now, with her long hair loose and straightened, and her face made up, she looked amazing. Well, apart from the outfit. It was an odd looking patchwork ensemble, with each patch a different colour. It really didn't suit her, and was clearly made to appeal to the family audiences.

The show was really great. Even Katie agreed that it was an entertaining spectacle. Naomi was clearly an accomplished performer, and made everything look effortless. She did a routine where she cut then magically restored a rope, then a piece with a signed playing card that repeatedly jumped to her pocket. There followed a whole host of tricks, the highlight being a very funny and surprising appearance of someone dressed head to foot in a bear costume. The whole audience jumped as one at his sudden arrival. Then he leapt from the stage and ran along the aisle, interacting with whoever he could reach. I wondered if it was Cook inside the costume - especially when he ruffled Katie's hair as he passed her.

After the show, we filed out of the theatre. After a few minutes, Naomi arrived in the foyer to sign autographs and pose for photos. Katie and I hung back until the last of the audience had trickled away. Then Naomi turned towards us with a friendly grin.

"Hey, you came!" She sounded genuinely pleased to see us. "What did you think of the show?" We both answered her enthusiastically. She seemed delighted that we had enjoyed the show. Then she led us backstage and into a dressing room. Once there, she promptly stripped off her ridiculous suit and donned a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I glanced at my surroundings. It wasn't a very large room, and it appeared smaller because there was so much clutter. There were pieces of rope laying around, playing cards scattered on the floor, and other strange, unrecognisable paraphernalia covering every surface. The walls were covered with child-drawn depictions of Naomi performing her show. She was a big hit with the children who watched her show, I had noticed that earlier. She must regularly get sent these drawings from her younger fans. I thought it was nice that she took the time to put them up.

A moment or two later, Cook sauntered into the room. He was still dressed from the neck down in the bear costume, confirming my earlier suspicion. He didn't knock, and Naomi didn't pass any comment on that. Clearly the two of them were pretty comfortable in each others company.

"Hey Hey!" Cook exclaimed loudly, when he saw me and Katie. "Give me a bear hug, girls!" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled us both into his arms. I giggled, but Katie wasn't amused. She fought her way out of his embrace as quickly as possible.

"Where's my licence, fuckwit?" She demanded. Cook waved his hands in a placating gesture.

"Calm down, Red. Your licence is safe."

"I'm waiting." Katie stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Cook. He made a big show of patting the sides of his costume, before shrugging.

"Sorry Katie - no pockets. I guess bears don't need wallets." Katie took a threatening step towards him. "It's in my dressing room" added Cook hastily. "I'll go get it." He darted from the room. Naomi looked awkwardly around her, before shifting some clutter from a small sofa. She gestured for us to sit down, before perching herself on the edge of her dresser. Cook returned, still in the bear suit. He handed Katie's licence to her.

"_You_ are the most irritating man that I've ever met" she told him with a sneer. Cook grinned broadly back at her.

"That's quite an achievement!" He declared, happily. It certainly was: Katie met Jeremy Clarkson once.

"Cook!" Said Naomi with authority. "Stop being a twat." She clearly wanted to keep a more harmonious atmosphere.

"So tell us about this big show you're planning" said Katie, in an effort to turn the conversation around to her chance of stardom. Naomi cleared her throat.

"Well, there's er... We told you earlier that we..." Katie cut straight through her sentence.

"You gave us a lot of waffle earlier, but I'd like to know some facts" she said firmly. Naomi stuttered and fell silent. I gazed with pride at my sister. People often underestimated her, just because she's willing to use her tits sometimes to get what she wants. She is anything but an airhead though, and won't be taken in easily. I had also noticed that Naomi hadn't told us anything concrete yet, and I was glad to see Katie call her out on that. We watched as Naomi and Cook exchanged a concerned look. "What's the deal?" pressed Katie. Eventually Cook nodded at Naomi, as the two of them resolved on what to say.

"Okay. There isn't actually a show yet" began Naomi. "We've got a meeting with the hotel manager on Friday to tell him our ideas. We're hoping he'll say we can put a headline act together."

"What show are you _wanting_ to put on?" I asked. Naomi stared down at the floor in front of her.

"We've got a lot of ideas, but that's all they are at the moment" she said quietly. She sighed, and let her shoulders slump. "Look, I'm sorry we misled you. Why don't you leave us your number, and I'll get in touch after the meeting if we get the go-ahead."

I felt myself breath a little easier. They may never get the go ahead, and that call may never come.

"Well can't we help?" Asked Katie suddenly, taking everyone - including me - by surprise. "We could listen to your ideas at least."

* * *

Before long, our impromptu meeting had moved to a nearby bar. It was an open plan place, off to one side of the huge casino, that took up most of the ground floor of the hotel. The sound of ringing slot machines filtered through to us every now and then. Naomi brought a pad of paper along, and swiftly made notes as we discussed possibilities for the show. Cook (now back in his regular clothes) and Naomi listened carefully to anything Katie or I had to say, even though our knowledge of magic was very limited. They seemed pleased at our interest, and were trying hard to make us feel included. The time passed rapidly by, and drinks continued to flow.

"So how do these two fit in?" Asked Cook, motioning his thumb towards us. He had asked the question I had been wondering about myself. Naomi shrugged.

"I'm not sure, really. When I saw them, I just though of Lafayette, you know?" Katie and I both looked towards Cook, expecting to see a look of recognition on his face. Instead, the name 'Lafayette' seemed to mean as little to him as it did to us. As Naomi took in his frown, she sighed. "Cook, didn't you read that History of Magic book I lent you?"

"I might of flicked through the pictures" said Cook with a grin. Naomi rolled her eyes at him. I chuckled to myself as I was put in mind of Hermione telling Harry Potter off for not reading his study books.

"The Great Lafayette was a magician" began Naomi. "He died about a hundred years ago on stage. He was performing at a theatre in Edinburgh, when a fire started. The audience got out, but those on stage were trapped, and a lot of them died - including Lafayette." She paused and looked around her to make sure that she had her audiences attention. "Anyway, they pulled his body out of the rubble, identified it and cremated him. Then a few days later, they pulled another body out of the rubble and identified it as... Lafayette. Turned out the first guy was his double that no-one even knew about. You see, instead of just tricks, Lafayette used to do whole scenes - like a play. He used the double to stand in for him so that he could suddenly appear elsewhere. So in one bit, the audience might see him at one side of the stage, then the other cast tied him up or something. Next thing you know he's vanished, then he reappears at the other side of the stage."

"Yeah, I think I get you" said Cook, nodding slowly. "Like, Katie could be on stage one minute, then she vanishes. Next second, there's Emily at the back of the auditorium, waving. Meanwhile the audience is going 'how the fuck did she get over there so quick?'"

"Exactly!" Said Naomi, her eyes alight with excitement. "I mean, we'll need to work out the details, but it really could work."

The two of them launched into an animated conversation that sounded too technical for me and Katie. We exchanged a look, and Katie rolled her eyes.

"I'll get us some more drinks" she said as she rose to her feet. The action seemed to snap Naomi from her conversation.

"Yeah, I'll come with you" she said as she rose up and followed Katie to the bar. Afternoon was beginning to become evening, and the bar had slowly gotten busier and busier.

"So how'd you end up in America?" I asked Cook. His accent was difficult to place, but must originate from England.

"Well, I grew up in an orphanage in London" he told me. "Ran away when I was eight, and lived on the streets. I learned to pick-pocket just to survive, really. I kept saving up whatever I could until the day I could afford a plane ticket over here. I always saw America as the land of opportunity." I listened intently as Cook spoke. He told me details about his time on the streets, and in the orphanage. I didn't challenge what he said, but it all seemed to drip a little too easily from his tongue. I suspected that Cook's background was a well-honed story, nothing more. It sounded just a shade too Dickensian to really be true. But truth or not, I was growing to like Cook. He had an easy-going aura and a sense of fun that was hard to resist.

"So what about you?" He asked. "You've not being going to auditions, so what've you been doing in Vegas?"

"Bar work" I answered with a shrug. While Katie went about chasing her dreams of stardom, one of us had to keep some money coming in. I had brought what I could in by taking various bar jobs from time to time. "I used to do it back home when I was a student. I like it, you know? I get to talk to people, and it's comfortable. I know what I'm doing behind a bar, so I feel comfortable."

"So, any beefcake boyfriend back home?" Asked Cook, with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

"No, I'm single" I answered quietly. A large grin spread across Cook's face. The guy is an irrepressible flirt. "You're not my type!" I told him with a laugh, cutting him off before he even began.

"What is your type then?" He asked, instantly making me wish that I'd kept my mouth shut. _Not_ a conversation that I was keen to get in to. I simply answered with a shrug and tried to think of a change of subject.

"What's Three Card Monte?" I asked with a grin, remembering Cook's earlier mention of it. By luck, I hit on the exact thing to change the tide of the conversation. Cook's whole face lit up.

"I'll show you!"

Katie and Naomi returned with drinks. They set them down and sank into their seats.

"Three Card Monte" announced Cook. "Give us some cover there, Blondie." Naomi sighed and got to her feet again.

"Don't take their money though, yeah?" She stood hunched over the table, as though to cover it from view. I was puzzled - Naomi didn't appear to be blocking us off from the eyes at the bar. The bar staff only needed to glance over to see what was going on. Naomi caught my confused look and nodded at something behind her. "Security camera" she told me. I glanced over her shoulder at the camera fixed into the ceiling. "No, don't look!" She insisted. "We don't want the pit boss to see - the guy who looks after the casino floor. They'll throw us out if they see us doing this. Three Card Monte's a gambling game. The casino owners don't like money changing hands in their casino when they're not getting any of it."

Katie and I leaned in closer to the table, our interest well and truly hooked. Cook reached into his pocket and brought out three playing cards. One was the queen of hearts, the other were the black aces. He displayed them all, then threw them face down onto the table.

"Just follow the lady." Katie pointed to the card that we had both seen shown as the queen. Cook turned it face up. "Yep, it's as simple as that" he said with a grin. He threw the cards down again, and Katie pointed to the queen. This time when it was turned over, it was an ace.

"What the fuck? Do that again" insisted Katie. Cook smirked and gathered up the cards again. He kept on placing those cards down on the table. Each time he showed us clearly which one was the queen, and each time, Katie or I guessed the wrong card. We just couldn't seem to get it right. Cook and Naomi seemed amused by our mounting frustration.

"You can see how people lose a lot of money doing this" said Naomi eventually. "They keep betting more and more, thinking that they only need to watch a bit closer next time. It's a con though - they'll never win."

"And you did this for a living in New York?" Asked Katie. In spite of her earlier surliness towards Cook, she sounded impressed. I had noticed that as the afternoon progressed, Katie was slowly but surely being won over by the two of them.

"Yeah. Always plenty of tourists in a hurry to lose their money in New York. Easy pickings, really. Specially if you've got a partner to relieve them of their watches and stuff while they're watching. Double pay-day that way." Cook grinned broadly and sat back in his chair, stuffing the cards back into a pocket. "Of course, I'm a law-abiding citizen, now though." He waggled his eyebrows again, clearly wanting us both to conclude that he was anything but law-abiding. Naomi chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Yeah, Cook. You only use your powers for good now!"

The rest of us joined in with her laughter. I was really enjoying myself with these two. I may not want to be a part of their show, but I couldn't help thinking that hanging around with Naomi and Cook could be a very intriguing experience.

* * *

**The bit with the bear costume is taken from Mac King's afternoon show at Harrah's in Las Vegas. I kept the description deliberately vague so that it will still be a surprise for anyone watching the show. If you ever get the chance, I reccommend it - it's a hilarious show.**

**Also, the bit about The Great Lafayette is true - he died 100 years ago this year. Magic history is a side interest of mine, and I'll be using other bits and pieces of facts that I think could add colour to the story.**

**Let me know what you think!**


	3. The Small Print

**Thanks once again for the reviews! It's nice to see that there is some speculation going on already. But don't forget: this is a story about magic and illusion - all is not necessarily as it seems... ****Yes, I really did use such a cheesy line. But hey, I'm a magician. Cheese is expected - it's like, the law, or something.**

**You may remember Naomi's outfit described in the last chapter as being: 'an odd looking patchwork ensemble, with each patch a different colour'. Now who on earth could design an outfit such as that...?**

**On with the story:**

* * *

Chapter Three: The Small Print

Naomi

"Blondie, would you sit down? You're making me nervous" growled Cook as I paced restlessly backwards and forwards. I rolled my eyes at him and carried on pacing. It was almost time for our meeting with Mr Tomone, and I didn't feel capable of sitting still. We were in the small waiting area outside his office, waiting for him to return. My eyes darted around at our assembled group. Myself and Cook were to be the main speakers. Cook was fidgeting awkwardly with the tie around his neck that I had made him wear. I couldn't really blame him: I felt uncharacteristically smart and incredibly uncomfortable in my own navy suit. The twins were also present. Katie had suggested that the two of them join us at the meeting, and I had readily agreed. They may not know much about magic, but they had both been good company over the last few days. Katie was brash, outspoken, and quite simply a refreshing antidote to the overly polite people we usually met through working at the hotel. As for Emily, well I have to admit that she remains something of a mystery to me. She's a lot quieter than Katie, and doesn't give much about herself away, but she's clearly very smart, and has a keen sense of humour. Having the two of them present was about more than just company though. The extra couple of bodies made us look more like a serious troupe of performers. More like 'Naomi Campbell and Company', rather than 'Naomi Campbell and her slightly scruffy best mate'.

Katie and Emily had both dressed smartly, at my request. Well, Katie was bordering on the side of slutty, almost spilling out of a very tight dress, but there was no harm in that. Especially if Mr Tomone liked it. I was all for using every advantage at our disposal. My own navy skirt was shorter than I would usually wear, though next to Katie I looked positively conservative.

There were another couple of people waiting in the room with us. Two men, both in very expensive looking three piece suits. I vaguely recognised both as being involved in the running of the hotel. They were probably here for the same meeting.

The door to the waiting area opened, and Mr Tomone walked through the room before disappearing into his office. I hoped that he wouldn't keep us waiting too much longer - I was getting more nervous by the minute.

"Was that him?" Whispered Katie. I nodded. "He's very young for a hotel manager. And cute." A wry smile appeared on her face.

"Yeah, he is pretty young" said Cook, ignoring the second part of Katie's statement. "Got to be some sort of necrophilia involved there."

I stared with a look of disgust at Cook. I glanced across at Emily and noticed that she had a similar expression on her face.

"Necrophilia?" I asked, incredulous.

"Yeah! Well, that's usually how it works isn't it? Not what you know, but who you know."

I frowned at him, completely lost by his logic. Emily suddenly started giggling.

"I think you mean nepotism, Cook" she told him. Cook just shrugged.

"S'all the same thing, isn't it?"

"No Cook, not exactly" I told him, starting to chuckle myself. Emily's laughter was infectious. I was even starting to feel a little bit more relaxed.

A buzz on the intercom brought the swirl of butterflies back to my stomach. Nadine spoke into it, before gesturing for us to go in. I stood up, glanced around at our assembled crew, and led the way into the office. The two suits also followed us into the room. The office was quite large. One side of it was completely dominated by ceiling to floor windows, providing plenty of natural light. There was a huge desk just in front of the window, but it was towards a more casual area of the room that Mr Tomone gestured us all to. Several comfy armchairs were arranged around a coffee table. Everyone sat down.

"Nice to see you again Miss Campbell" Said Mr Tomone in his customary friendly tone.

"Naomi" I answered, with my warmest smile firmly in place. "And this is Cook, Katie and Emily. Cook you may remember is my business partner, and these two ladies will be my assistants in the show."

Mr Tomone looked appraisingly around at the group. He shook hands with everyone, before settling back into his seat. He introduced the other two men, and more handshakes followed.

"So, you've hired your assistants already? That shows confidence" said Mr Tomone. I inclined my head and smiled.

"Well, the chance to have twins in the magic show was too good an opportunity to miss" I explained. "Besides, they're such talented dancers." Mentally, I kicked myself for not actually having verified that fact before now. Everything had just moved along so quickly since Tuesday. Still, it's not as if we've signed any contract with them yet. There are still plenty of details to work out.

"And such beautiful ladies, of course" added Mr Tomone. I glanced to my left, and noticed Katie surreptitiously rearranging her cleavage so that it was even more enhanced than before. I caught Emily's eye and she gave me a smirk, clearly amused at her sister's actions. I found myself winking at her, before mentally giving myself a shake: we were here for business, after all.

"We have some wonderful ideas for a show, Mr Tomone" I began, before launching in to our rehearsed spiel. Cook and I had spent as much time as possible over the last few days trying to put a show together - at least on paper. It hadn't proved as difficult as I had originally thought. Cook and I have been friends for quite some time, and have often talked about the kind of show we would love to put on. Many a late night has been spent discussing illusions, methods and presentations. Whenever something had really ignited our magical passion, we hammered out the details until it was a workable trick - albeit just in theory. The last few days had been spent deciding which of our ideas should go into such a show and become a working illusion. Cook and I did our best to outline what we considered to be the key features of our planned spectacle. Mr Tomone sat back in his chair, formed his fingers into a pyramid, and gave us his full attention.

"So, there we go" I said uncertainly, as we reached the end of our speech. Mr Tomone took a deep breath, before staring at the two suits. Neither had spoken much at all so far - both were clearly looking to take their lead from Mr Tomone. As his eyes drifted back towards me, I swallowed nervously.

"That certainly sounds like a good show, Naomi" he said with a smile. I felt myself relaxing a little. "But it lacks a certain... je ne se quoi, no? What I mean is, it needs an ending. A big finale, that leaves everybody breathless."

Shit.

He was right - of course he was. I knew it, and Cook knew it, but the one thing that we had never been able to figure out was the big 'WOW' to end with. We had come up with plenty of suggestions, but just couldn't agree on anything between us. In the end we had decided to just not bring it up in the meeting, and decide on the finale later. So much for that idea. I took a deep breath, and glanced around the room for inspiration. Instead, all I saw was three sets of curious eyes looking at me for an answer.

"Well" I began slowly. "It needs to be something a little bit different." There was a jug of cold water and some plastic cups on the coffee table. I poured myself some water, and took a much needed sip. My movements were leisurely, simply to stall for time. "We have a couple of ideas in mind."

"Like...?" Prompted Mr Tomone, leaning forward in his seat. Okay, it was go-for-broke time. I took another sip of my water, and studiously avoided looking at Cook.

"Like the bullet-catch trick" I stated firmly. I heard a sharp intake of breath from Cook, but I chose to ignore it. I wasn't going to let his silly superstitions ruin our shot at the big time. I watched carefully as Mr Tomone's eyebrows rose skywards. He was impressed. A silence descended on the whole room, everyone's attention hanging on me. I took that as my signal to elaborate. "A gun is fired at the magician, but the magician remains unhurt." I heard a stifled noise from Cook. I glared at him, willing him to stay silent. He just shrugged, but mercifully stayed quiet. I continued. "The magician then shows that they have in fact _caught_ the bullet that was just fired at them. It's dramatic, it has a real sense of danger - it's perfect." I stared around the room, taking in the effect of my words. The twins, the two suits and Mr Tomone were all looking at me with various expressions of consideration. Cook wouldn't meet my gaze. At length, Mr Tomone grinned broadly at me.

"Yes, that sounds like an amazing ending to a wonderful show. That will certainly have everyone talking about the fabulous magic show at The Garda Resort!"

I breathed a sigh of relief. We had his interest, there was no doubt about that. We had done our best to sell the show, all we could do now was wait to see what the outcome was.

"You will you still need to fulfil your current contract, while you rehearse the new show" said Mr Tomone. I nodded.

"Not a problem" I insisted. I knew that it wouldn't be. Cook and I still spent a lot of time rehearsing the current show, even though it was no longer necessary. We would easily spend that time working instead on the new show. It would be time-consuming, fitting it around performing, but doable.

Shortly afterwards, our meeting came to an end. Mr Tomone was interested in the show, but was not going to commit to anything just yet. He told us that there were other acts to consider before they could make a firm decision. There were handshakes all round again, before our group of four trouped out of the office and headed for the elevators.

"Wow, the show sounds amazing!" said Katie.

"You really sold it to them" added Emily. I grinned at them both as I pressed the button for the elevator. My grin faltered slightly as I noticed that Cook's jaw was firmly set. As soon as we were safely ensconced in the elevator, he rounded on me.

"The _bullet_-catch, Naomi? The fucking _bullet_-catch? Are you totally fucking insane?"

The twins shared a startled look at Cook's reaction.

"It sounds great" insisted Katie. "You know - exciting, dangerous..."

Cook let out a hollow laugh at her words.

"Oh, it's fucking dangerous alright."

"No it isn't" I argued. "There's a magician I know in California that has a great way to..."

"There's a fucking CURSE on the bullet-catch, Naomi!" Cook stepped closer to me and did his best to stare me down. I rolled my eyes at him and stepped out of the now open lift doors. The other three followed.

"A curse?" asked Katie, not even trying to hide her amusement.

"Of course not! There's no such thing as a curse, just a lot of silly superstition." I stared at Cook, willing him to see reason. "Look, you saw what happened in there. We need a big finale to reel them in. The bullet-catch is perfect!"

Cook folded his arms across his chest and shook his head.

"You can forget it. _I'm_ not firing a loaded gun at you" he said with resolution.

"I will" chipped in Katie. She said it so casually, with a little shrug of her shoulders. "I'd happily fire a gun at you."

Emily suddenly started giggling. Once again, it had me joining in immediately. The casual way that Katie had just offered to fire a deadly weapon at me was so comical that I had to laugh. Soon, Katie joined in with the laughter, but Cook remained unaffected by it.

"You'll regret it" he said simply. "I just hope you're still alive to regret it." He stalked away from the three of us, as we stood there chuckling in the elevator foyer.

"So why's it supposed to be cursed?" Asked Emily suddenly, eyeing me closely. I sighed.

"Well, it has gone wrong a lot of times." The twins both inhaled sharply and stared at me with wide eyes. "Some magicians have died doing it - quite a few, in fact. But that was years ago. They were using doctored guns that could break, or they relied on someone else to switch the bullet for a blank. This guy in California has worked out a new method that's _safe._"

Katie stared thoughtfully at me for a moment. I could see that she was thinking something through, and I soon found out what.

"So, if it _did_ go wrong..." she began slowly. "...And I accidentally shot you, could I end up being charged with murder?"

"I'll sign a waiver" I answered with a chuckle. This girl's priorities were palpably obvious. I glanced at my watch and realised that it was nearly time for me to start getting ready for the afternoon show. I just hoped that Cook hadn't gone off in a sulk somewhere.

"I've got to go" I told the twins.

"Let's go out tonight" insisted Katie. "To celebrate how well the meeting went!" She looked happy at the prospect of a night out. I hesitated for a moment. I really didn't want everyone in Vegas to see the twins together. But, I reasoned that we still had a long way to go until opening night. Whoever saw the two of them now would probably not remember by the time we come to perform the show. Besides, I can hardly start laying down rules about not going out in public together before they've even signed a contract. In truth, I don't think they've even realised that such a thing would have to be part of the deal. In all honesty, I'm not looking forward to explaining that bit to them.

"Okay" I answered.

"Great. I'll text you later."

With that, Emily and Katie left, and I turned my steps towards the theatre.

* * *

After the show, Cook came as usual into my dressing room. When I got back to the theatre earlier he had been there, but not in the mood for conversation. He had kept his head down in preparations for the show, not indulging in his usual banter. Now though, his trademark grin was back in place.

"There were some hot women in the audience today!" He said with a wink. "Are we going out tonight? I feel like getting my dick wet."

"Katie suggested we go out with them tonight."

Cook's eyes lit up at that news.

"Yeah, I'm up for that!"

I chuckled at his enthusiasm. I could see that Cook was enjoying hanging out with the two of them as much as I was. He was probably going to spend the whole night trying to impress them. I was hardly any better: our little 'Three Card Monte' display the other day was a well rehearsed routine. It was true that Cook used to use it to fleece the tourists in New York. It was also true that most casinos would throw us out if they saw us doing it. But my big show of standing in front of the security camera was just for effect. The pit bosses in _this_ hotel knew me and Cook well. They were well aware that Cook wouldn't use Three Card Monte to fleece people in his own back-yard. The only time he uses it in The Garda Resort is when he's trying to impress girls. Standing in front of the security camera was just a little added touch to make it seem like we were doing something illicit. Hey, we're magicians! And one thing you have to know about magicians is that things are _never_ the way they seem to be. That's the one thing that makes magic unique - we are actually _trying_ to fool you. We will never do exactly what you think we are doing - or more importantly, what we _say_ we are doing.

"Do you fancy going out for a burger first?" I asked. Cook nodded.

"Sounds good to me, Blondie. Usual place?"

"Yeah. Look, about the bullet-catch..."

Cook held a hand up to silence me.

"I'm sorry if I overreacted earlier, but it's a dangerous trick. You can't mess about with shit like that, Naomi."

He said it calmly, and I could tell that he had been thinking about the impact the trick's mention had caused in the meeting earlier. He seemed willing to listen to what I had to say.

"I know, but this friend of mine in L.A. has worked out a great method. It's safe."

"Why don't you tell me about it over dinner" insisted Cook.

"Sure. You go ahead - I've still got some stuff to tidy away."

Cook agreed, and wandered off in the direction of our favourite burger bar. I headed back out into the theatre to pack the rest of my gear away.

* * *

As I was leaving the theatre, I bumped into Pandora Moon. Panda worked in the costume department for the Fantasy show. She was a talented designer, but was largely overlooked in that regard. Instead, her job usually entailed the sewing on of endless amounts of sequins. Cook and I had made friends with Panda straight away. Cook in particular was fascinated by her work, although that probably had more to do with the dancers that she dressed. She often had to make last minute repairs to costumes while they were being worn, which had Cook seething with jealousy. As a favour, Panda had designed my own show costume for me. It wasn't really what I would have chosen, but it certainly pleased the top brass of the hotel.

"Hi Naomi!" Bubbled Panda. "I heard you and Cookie had a meeting with that well lush manager today. How'd you get on?"

"Yeah, okay I think. I just hope we get a show out of it."

Panda grinned at me.

"Yeah, I hope so!" She nodded, and gave me a big thumbs up. "Let me know if you want any costumes doing for it as well."

"Thanks Panda. I was going to..." My sentence trailed away as I spotted the aforementioned 'lush manager' approaching. He normally didn't venture down into the actual theatres. I tried to stop myself from thinking that he was here to tell me already that they were wanting to hire our act. "Mr Tomone!" I gushed, with more enthusiasm than I wanted to show.

"Naomi!" He grinned broadly at me. "I wanted to tell you that I..." His eyes darted immediately over to Panda. "Oh, I er..." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hello there."

"This is Panda, from the costume department" I explained, gesturing in her direction. Mr Tomone offered his hand, which Panda eagerly shook. I noticed that Mr Tomone didn't drop her hand afterwards.

"Hello, Panda" he said. Panda blushed immediately at being addressed so warmly by someone so high up within the hotel. "I'm Thomas."

I gaped at him. Normally, Mr Tomone was every inch the level headed business manager, but one glance at Panda and that facade was gone. Mentally, I filed that under 'useful information'. But Mr Tomone was here for a reason, and I wanted to get back to that. I cleared my throat loudly. It had the desired effect, snapping Mr Tomone back into the present moment.

"Oh, yes! Naomi, I wanted to talk to you." I nodded, to show that I was listening. Mr Tomone carried on. "I forgot to mention it in the meeting earlier. I'm sure you're already aware though. The new headline act that we book: you are aware that it will be a four-wall deal, aren't you?"

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, FUCK!

"Yes of course" I lied smoothly. Mr Tomone grinned broadly at me.

"Good. I'm afraid in this current climate, it's the only way that we can do it. Especially if we go with an unknown act such as yourself." I found myself nodding along with him, while my head got lost in other thoughts. "You do have the funds, don't you?" Asked Mr Tomone.

"Oh yes, definitely!" Hell, what's another lie on top of the last one? Okay, so that last lie was a bit of a whopper, but who's keeping check?

"Well like I said, we'll be in touch as soon as we make a decision" said Mr Tomone. He turned his attention to Panda, and immediately fell into conversation with her. I stumbled away from them, needing to get my head around what he had just told me. How could I have been so stupid? How could I not have thought of this sooner? Of course the only way we had a shot at this deal was because they were four-walling the theatre. Four walling has become an all too common practice in Vegas over the last few years. Basically, it means that instead of hiring an act for a set fee, the hotel rents out the 'four walls' of the theatre to the producer of the show - which in this case was me and Cook. In other words, the act has to pay for _everything_. Rent of the theatre, advertising - even the hire of the theatre staff. All of that would have to come out of mine and Cook's pocket. On the plus side, 100 percent of the ticket revenue would be ours to take away. But filling a 1500 seat venue was no easy task, and the onus to do so would be entirely on our shoulders. An uneasy feeling settled deep in the pit of my stomach. I had saved up money over the years, but that was to pay for the show itself. Illusions were not cheap things to buy - but hiring a theatre? Where the hell was that kind of money supposed to come from?

* * *

**So I have chosen to ignore the fact that Penn & Teller currently end their Vegas show with 'The Bullet Catch' trick. In this story, it is something that no-one else is doing.**

**Let me know what you think!**


	4. Poker Face

**There was some interest in the reviews about the 'cursed trick', so there's a little more info here. I hope it's not too much for people, but I really find this stuff interesting, and there were some parallels that I wanted to draw as well.**

**There has also been some speculating about Emily, so time to answer some of those queries now. And er, open up some new ones about Naomi. Sorry about that. **

**On my first visit to Vegas, I heard a boy of about 8 ask his mother 'why are there pictures of naked ladies on the ground?' So that question receives an answer too!**

**Hope you enjoy! Myrtle**

* * *

Chapter Four: Poker Face

Emily

Katie and I made our way along The Strip, following in Naomi and Cook's wake. They were leading us to a club that they often went to. Night time is when Las Vegas comes into it's own. The whole of Las Vegas Boulevard is lit up brighter than a million Christmas trees on acid. Each hotel, restaurant or bar has vast neon signs, belching their light out into the ether, desperately clamouring against each other for attention. Whether it be a five storey high guitar, or a beam of light that can be seen from space, Vegas is like nowhere else you have ever visited. There is so much to take in that when you first arrive, it can be hard not walking around with your mouth hanging open. But you can't stand around taking it all in - the sidewalks are constantly clamouring with tourists.

Slightly ahead of us, Naomi and Cook wove their way amongst the omnipresent touts. Row upon row of people stand along The Strip, day or night, handing out postcards advertising 'hot girls'. Although prostitution is legal in the state of Nevada, it is illegal in Clark County, which contains Las Vegas. Therefore these adverts simply claim to be for 'escort services'. Most of these cards end up falling disregarded to the ground. If you ever look down on Las Vegas Boulevard, all you will see are pictures of naked ladies.

Finally, we turned off the street into a hotel. Like most hotels in Vegas, we had to first get through the casino in order to reach our destination. We negotiated our way past people with buckets full of quarters, and waitresses with trays full of drinks, before stopping at an elevator. We stepped inside, along with a number of other people dressed for a night out. The elevator zoomed immediately upwards, not stopping until it reached the top floor. It was only for access to the nightclub we were heading to.

There was a queue to get in, but Naomi confidently led us to the front. The bouncer grinned at her and they exchanged a few words. Then he checked everyone's I.D.'s, and waved us all into the club. The place was huge. A surge of people were bumping and grinding on the dance floor. Smoke from a smoke machine hung in the air, and laser lights of purple, blue and red flitted across the whole scene. Cook headed immediately to the bar, the rest of us following behind. He ordered eight shots, and lined them up on the bar. We each downed our two shots in succession, gasping as the sudden burn hit our throats. Cook threw his head back and howled, the noise getting swallowed up by the pulsating music. Then he produced a little plastic bag with white tablets in.

"A little something to make the night extra fun!" He said, adding a wiggle of his eyebrows for good measure.

"We've still got a show to do tomorrow" answered Naomi. Cook nodded solemnly at her, before taking a pill out of the bag and swallowing it. Naomi rolled her eyes at him, but didn't seem too surprised. Cook grinned broadly back at her, waving the bag from side to side in front of her face. With a sigh, Naomi capitulated and held out a hand. It hadn't been much of a resistance - I wondered how often Naomi and Cook performed their show whilst hung-over or coming down. Or both. Katie and I both swallowed our offered pills straight away.

After another couple of drinks, and with the sensation of the pill kicking in, Katie grabbed my hand and led me onto the dance floor. I glanced around to see that neither Naomi or Cook were following. Cook was sauntering towards a group of girls, his cheshire-cat grin firmly in place. Naomi leaned back against the bar, drink in hand, nonchalantly taking in the world around her. Katie and I began our usual routine. The two of us danced up a storm together in the middle of the club. The fact that we're twins always helped us to stand out. We had done it many a time back home in Bristol, always with the same goal in mind: men. Without fail it would draw them to us like moths to a flame, hoping to push their way into our little bubble. One or two of the lucky ones may succeed, and find themselves grinding against Katie. If they were very lucky, they may even get more than that, but not always.

Soon, a group of guys had gathered around us. Katie was having the time of her life being the centre of attention. She was teasing about three or four of the better looking ones, dancing closer, smiling coquettishly, then shifting her attention to the next one. It was always at about this time that I quietly slipped away unnoticed. Katie always told herself that we danced like that because we were both on the pull. She chose to ignore the fact that I was never interested. Seeing that her attention was elsewhere, I headed to the bar and got myself another drink. I glanced around the club, looking for the others. Cook was across the room, chatting up about six girls at once. He was giving them the full charm offensive, and looked to be making some progress. Naomi was much closer. She was still stood at the end of the bar, but now she had some company. She was snogging some guy for all she was worth. His hands were on her ass, pulling her into him. I wondered if he was her boyfriend - she hadn't mentioned having one. I suddenly felt self-conscious, standing so close to them. I grabbed my drink and headed elsewhere.

At the other side of the room, a large glass door led outside. I stepped out into the warm evening air. It was a big rooftop terrace, with comfy chairs and sofas placed about. A speaker piped music out, but it was a fraction of the volume inside. I walked to the barrier and looked out across The Strip. The view was quite spectacular from that vantage point. We were really high up, but even so, there was no breeze. I took a deep breath and revelled in the comparative silence. It didn't last for long.

"Hey" said a familiar voice behind me. I turned and smiled at Naomi who was making her way towards me. "You okay?"

"Yeah" I answered with a shrug. "Just felt like getting some air. Everyone else seemed... busy." A soft chuckle was my only answer. "Was that your boyfriend?" I asked, wanting to make conversation. I nodded vaguely in the direction of the club.

"Oh, him? That was Patrick" answered Naomi, before frowning. "I think he said Patrick. The music's pretty loud in there. It began with a 'P', anyway." Right, not her boyfriend then.

"They should make everyone wear name-tags."

Naomi shrugged.

"You don't always need to know their name, do you?" Her words caught my interest. It sounded like the sort of thing that Cook might say, but it somehow seemed wrong coming from Naomi. She didn't strike me as the sort to fuck about like that.

"So what about you?" Asked Naomi. "I saw you and Katie drawing a crowd around you like a couple of mountebanks. She's in there getting off with about half a dozen guys at once. Not on the pull yourself?"

"No" I answered with a laugh.

"Cook said you're single though" pushed Naomi. "There's a couple of decent gay bars in Vegas. We could go to one next time if you like?"

"What?" I stared at her open mouthed. How the fuck did she know? I hadn't mentioned it to anyone. Naomi suddenly looked uneasy.

"I... I just thought..."

I sighed and closed my eyes. What the hell. It clearly wasn't a problem for her - I might as well be honest for once.

"Yes" I said firmly. "You're right." When I opened my eyes, Naomi was smiling gently at me. "Is it that obvious?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I just tend to notice what people look at, that's all. To a magician, where people are looking is important. Especially with close-up magic. You can't do a secret move if people are watching your hands, so that's where misdirection comes in. But you can't direct people's gaze until you know where it's focused in the first place." I felt myself blushing at her words. I hoped she was talking about me looking at girls here in the club, but I had an unsettled feeling that she wasn't. Had she seen me checking out her legs this morning when she was wearing that short skirt? She has the most beautiful long, slender legs. I'll admit that I had trouble focusing on the meeting, but I thought I had kept my perving subtle. I hadn't been able to help myself. I was hardly any better tonight - she was wearing a pretty, snug-fitting vest top that made her cleavage look amazing. Shit! Focus, Emily! "I take it Katie doesn't know?" Asked Naomi, snapping my mind back to the conversation. I shook my head.

"No, no-one does really. I tried coming out to my family when I was a teenager, but it didn't go very well." I tipped my head backwards and let a sigh escape me into the night. "It's a long story."

"Let me guess. You came out to them, and they said it was just a silly phase, or you were attention-seeking or something, then they promptly forgot all about it?"

"I guess that's the short version" I said with a chuckle.

"Classic. And you never tried again?"

I shrugged and leaned against the barrier, staring out across the Vegas skyline.

"I was _going_ to. Last year, I was with someone. Her name was Jenny. It was getting serious, and she wanted me to tell my family about us." I took a swig of my drink, using the time to keep myself composed as the memories flooded back to me. "She was going to help me through whatever shit they threw at me." I paused, not sure how much I really wanted to reveal to Naomi.

"So what happened?" She prompted.

"Well, some... family stuff came up, so I wanted to wait. Then before I had another chance, she broke up with me. Turned out she was seeing someone else, and wanted her instead of me." I heard my voice waver a little. My hand was resting on the barrier. Naomi inched closer to me and placed her hand on top of mine. She gave it a reassuring squeeze. It was a small gesture, but it was so full of tenderness, and I was grateful for it. I wasn't still heartbroken over Jenny - there had been cracks in our relationship that we had both ignored for too long - but the memory of her betrayal still hurt. I took a deep breath and shoved my emotions back into their little box. "But enough about me - I want to know more about you. How did you end up performing a magic show in Sin City?" I asked Naomi with a smile. I wasn't just trying to change the subject: I was genuinely interested in Naomi, but she hadn't really given too much of herself away just yet. Her hand was still resting on top of mine. She interlaced our fingers, and led me away from the barrier towards a comfy-looking sofa. We both sank down onto it.

"I've always loved magic" she began. "My dad used to make coins appear behind my ear when I was a kid." She let out a little chuckle at the memory. "I was about twenty when I started doing magic for money. Kids parties, magic in restaurants - anything, really. It helped me be more confident."

Involuntarily, I scoffed at that.

"But you're _full_ of confidence!"

"I wasn't always" she said sadly, with a shake of her head. I thought I saw the hint of a shadow cross her face, but it was gone before I could be sure. The mask that she hides behind was firmly back in place, having only slipped for a second. "Anyway, I wanted a change of scene, so I moved to America."

"Just like that?" I asked. Naomi shrugged. I stared into her piercing blue eyes, trying to read what was going on behind them. Her face remained impassive.

"Just like that" she said simply. "I met Cook in New York, and we became friends - we found we had a similar love of magic, and a similar wavelength about how it should be performed. So we put a show together, and tried to find an audience for it. Cook suggested that we give it a go in Vegas. I think sheer dumb luck got us the gig at The Garda Resort - right place, right time, you know?" I nodded, but felt like I had more questions than answers now. What made Naomi want to leave England? Why did she seem so unwilling to give more of her own history? Clearly, she was done talking about it. She stared out across the rooftops, no longer meeting my eye. As the silence stretched on between us, I longed to ask more questions, but I didn't dare pry. I hardly knew her well enough for that. Instead, I asked something that was sure to get her talking.

"So, tell me more about this 'cursed trick'?" I asked with a laugh in my voice. Naomi giggled.

"It's not cursed, that's just Cook's silly superstitions."

I arched an eyebrow at her.

"So it's not dangerous at all?" I watched Naomi closely and saw her hesitation.

"Well... there _have_ been deaths because of that trick."

"How many?"

Naomi took a slow sip of her drink before answering.

"At least twelve" she said at last. "But some reports say up to sixteen. Though I think that includes one guy that was beaten to death by his own trick gun by an enraged assistant!"

"That's a lot of deaths" I said solemnly. Naomi shrugged.

"That's over a lot of years though. And there are a hell of a lot more successful performances than unsuccessful. But it uses a live firearm. If you mess a _card trick_ up, the worse that happens is you don't find their card, but if you mess the _bullet-catch_ up..."

"So people say that it's cursed then?" I pushed. Naomi nodded.

"Of course they do. It adds intrigue to the mystery - and one thing magicians _love_ is intrigue. It keeps people interested."

"It certainly has _my_ interest" I said absently. "Has any famous magician died doing the bullet-catch?" Naomi's eyes seemed to sparkle at my curiosity. She was suddenly keen to provide more details.

"The most famous was Chung Ling Soo, a Chinese magician." Naomi paused to see if she had my full attention. I was listening intently, and found myself leaning closer. She continued. "He died in 1918. He performed his show all across Europe, America, Australia - always travelling with an interpreter to translate his Chinese words. He died on stage in London due to a faulty gun that was only supposed to fire a blank - but it fired the real bullet as well." I let out a little gasp. Naomi leaned even closer, like she was sharing a big secret. "But the really amazing part was that Soo wasn't Chinese at all - He was American. It was just part of his act the whole time."

"So he didn't need the translator?" I asked frowning. Naomi shook her head.

"No. It's amazing really, the lengths he went to, to keep it secret. Practically his whole _life_ was one big secret."

She sounded quite in awe of the man she was telling me about. As I listened to her, I began to wonder if that kind of secret facade intrinsically went hand in hand with the life of a magician. I had felt that Cook's background was a fabrication, and I was certain that Naomi's past contained more than she was telling me about. Perhaps for magicians, keeping secrets becomes so ingrained that it seeps into the fabric of their daily life.

With a sudden loud bang, and an increase in volume from the club, Naomi and I were brought back to our surroundings. The door leading onto the terrace had been slammed open by a couple of people searching for a bit of privacy. It was Cook, his arms full with one of the girls he had been chatting up earlier. They were kissing each other frantically and noisily. Her dress was pulled up around her waist, and her hands were disappearing somewhere down the front of Cook's trousers. They staggered as one onto the terrace, unaware of those around them. Naomi and I exchanged a look of disgust.

"Shall we get out of here?" She asked. "I don't fancy being witness to Cook's latest conquest!" I nodded my agreement and the two of us left the terrace without even alerting Cook to our presence. Once back inside, I dragged Naomi reluctantly onto dance-floor.

* * *

Much later, Katie and I left the club to get a taxi back home. Unfortunately, we now had 'Michael' in tow with us. Yes, Katie had pulled. I tried my best to ignore their vigorous snogging in the back of the taxi. I sighed to myself and stared out of the window as the backstreets of Vegas flew by. Seems like I was the only one of our group not to pull tonight. Cook had emerged from the terrace a dismally short five minutes or so after Naomi and I left it. He had a shit-eating grin on his face, and a couple of buttons missing from his shirt. Naomi and I had danced together for a while longer, but when I returned after a visit to the toilets, she was swapping saliva with some guy. He didn't look like the same guy she had been with earlier, but I couldn't say for sure - I hadn't taken much notice. By the end of the evening, I had lost track of her altogether, and concluded that she must have left with him. I couldn't help a small pang of jealousy at that thought, but I did my best to swallow it down. If Katie and I were going to be a part of their show, it wasn't a good idea to develop a crush on my boss. My straight and - based on tonight's observations - possibly slutty boss.

The taxi pulled up outside our motel, and Katie and her catch tumbled out, leaving me to settle the fare. I did so, before following them up the stairs to our room, dragging my feet with every step. I knew what was coming. I had known since it became obvious that Michael was coming back with us. As I got inside the room that we shared, Katie at least had the decency to look sheepishly at me. I just nodded, grabbed the blankets, sheets and pillows from my bed, and made my way into the bathroom. As I settled myself into the ludicrously small bath tub, I felt pleased that Katie didn't do this to me too often. And besides, it was better than her going off with some stranger, leaving me wondering if she was okay.

"You know I'll do the same for you" Katie had hissed to me as I closed the bathroom door. _Fat chance of that_ I thought bitterly. I couldn't really picture Katie happily spending the night in the tub while I was in the bedroom with a girl. Though I have to admit, I could probably do with it. It had been quite some time since I'd got laid. For a long time I'd never even wanted to, after what happened with Jenny. My thoughts drifted back to that time after our break-up. Tonight was the first night I'd really spoken about it to anyone. I'd had friends who knew I was gay, but they were all Jenny's friends really, and had drifted away after the split. So all I could do was bottle everything up, leaving my family wondering why I was suddenly so moody all the time. And things weren't made easier by the fact that Jenny was suddenly _everywhere _with her new girlfriend. When Katie had suggested we take a trip, it had come at just the right time for me as well as her. I wanted to get myself sorted out once and for all. I wanted to find the strength from somewhere to be more honest with my family, and show them who I really am. I just hoped that travelling to another country could somehow help me do that.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think!**


	5. Money Changes Everything

**Thankyou so much to everyone who reviews. Some of the comments have really amazed me - it really is lovely to know that people like what I write.**

**A brief (okay, brief-_ish_) word about 'four-walling': I hope I explained it okay in chapter 3. It really is a genuine thing, and over the last 20 or so years has become more and more common in Las Vegas - even more so since the recession. It's such a shame, because it makes it so much harder for good acts to get themselves an audience. It was never my intention to make it a huge obstacle in this story, just a factual thing that I wanted to include. Also, I really don't want to get too deeply into money matters like rent, wages etc. A figure is mentioned in this chapter because it came up during my meagre research, but otherwise, I'll skim past such details.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**Myrtle**

* * *

Chapter Five: Money Changes Everything

Naomi

Saturday morning found me heading as usual into the Mon Ami Gabi restaurant for breakfast. It was in the Paris hotel, and had an outdoor terrace right on The Strip. It was perfect for people watching, and did the most wonderful Eggs Benedict. Cook and I always met there on Saturday mornings for breakfast. He was already there when I arrived, and was busy shovelling a pile of pancakes into his mouth. I sat down, placed my order, and snatched gratefully at some freshly poured coffee.

"Alright, Blondie?" Asked Cook, spraying half eaten crumbs at me.

"Nice" I muttered, wiping my face. Cook just grinned back at me. "We may have a problem." I didn't really want to indulge in small-talk today. I hadn't told Cook yet about how much money we may need to get our show happening. I hadn't wanted to spoil the atmosphere of our night out, but I couldn't put off telling him any longer. If we couldn't get the money together, then we may as well face the fact that our show just wasn't a goer. "If they go ahead with our show at the hotel, it's going to be a four-wall deal." Cook frowned at me.

"Fuck. Seriously?"

As I nodded, I spotted Emily and Katie walking towards us. Cook must have texted them, asking if they wanted to meet us for breakfast. The next few minutes were spent with the twins sitting down, getting coffee, and ordering some food from the menu.

"Last night was fun" said Katie as soon as the waitress left. "We have to do that again soon." Cook enthusiastically nodded his agreement. My eyes drifted to Emily. She was rubbing her neck and looked quite uncomfortable.

"Are you okay?" I asked. She smiled at my concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine, except for spending the night trying to sleep in the _bath tub_." She threw a greasy look in Katie's direction on the last two words. Katie just shrugged.

"I told you I'd do the same for you, but you never pull."

At the mention of pulling, Cook's interest was heightened. He immediately asked Katie what had happened.

"I hooked up with this _gorgeous_ guy last night. Since me and Emily share a room, what choice did I have?" She asked with another casual shrug. Emily rolled her eyes at her sister. I shot her a sympathetic look - I couldn't imagine spending the night in a bath-tub just so someone could get a shag. Besides, I had a feeling that Katie wouldn't really be happy to return the favour if she knew that Emily was only into women.

"What _choice_ did you have?" Asked Cook, amazed. "Katie, two words for you: three some!" His eyes were shining at the thought. He was the only one – myself and the twins just looked horrified.

"Eurgh! What the fuck, Cook?" Said Katie. Cook frowned at her.

"You mean no-one's ever suggested it to the two of you?"

"Yeah, plenty have, but I bin them as soon as they say it. That's incest, which is fucking disgusting! Not to mention _illegal_."

"Alright! Alright!" Cook threw his hands up in surrender. "I was just saying! After the way you two were dancing together last night, I couldn't get the idea out of my head!"

Emily wrinkled her nose in disgust. Katie didn't hold back, she just punched Cook in the arm, as though she could punch the thought out of him. I found myself wondering, not for the first time, exactly what goes on inside Cook's head. Although on second thoughts, maybe I really don't want to know. I had noticed the twins dancing together in the club too – I think anyone with eyes could have appreciated the sight of it – but there had been nothing about it to suggest that they were into each other. Surely only Cook's cesspool of a mind could fill in the blanks to reach that conclusion.

"So what's this about four walling?" Asked Cook, abruptly changing the subject. He sensed that he was venturing into unwelcome territory with Katie. I took a deep breath, and began to explain. Cook knew the basics of four walling, but Emily and Katie didn't. I did my best to break it down simply for them.

"So how much money will you need?" asked Emily, getting straight to the crux of the matter. I sighed.

"Well it depends on how much they're going to charge us for the theatre, but advertising alone will cost us a fortune." I paused, stealing myself for the figures about to be discussed. "But we'd be mad to do it without… half a million behind us." Cook gave a low whistle.

"_Pounds_?" Asked Katie. I shook my head.

"No, dollars. But that's still going to be about three hundred thousand or so."

"When do you need it by?" Asked Katie. I shrugged.

"Well, the likes of advertising won't be needed until we're almost ready to perform the show. As for the theatre costs, I'm not sure. Probably not straight away either, but we can't sign an agreement with them, without knowing that the money's coming."

The whole table lapsed into silence as we shared a common thought: where the FUCK was that kind of money going to come from?

"It would take a long time to get that kind of money from Three Card Monte" muttered Emily.

"We could all go on the game" suggested Cook. "I mean, we've been giving it away for nowt up to now, we may as well make some money from it!" He said it with such a pretence of seriousness, that we all couldn't help but chuckle.

"If we charged about fifty thousand a time, we'd have the money in no time!" Said Emily, joining in with the joke.

"Babe, I'm worth SO much more than that!" Added Katie. We all burst out laughing, Katie included. As the laughter died down, I made a serious suggestion.

"We need a backer." Everyone nodded sagely.

"So if one of us has a wealthy uncle, looking to invest in a bunch of reprobates wanting to put on a magic show, now's the time to mention that" said Katie. I glanced across at Cook, hoping that he had some words of wisdom for us. He was staring off into space, no longer paying attention to our conversation.

"Cook?" I prompted. His eyes snapped back to meet mine.

"Don't sweat it, ladies. I'm sure something will come up" he said dismissively. I frowned at him. Cook always appeared to just go with the flow, but when it came to business he had always proactively sought out our opportunities. I wondered if he had something in mind that he didn't want to mention just yet. He winked at me, confirming my suspicion. "So what are you two ladies up to today?" He asked the twins, successfully changing the subject once more.

"Shopping!" Declared Katie with a grin. "We're gonna hit the mall today. We just haven't decided which one, yet."

"Don't look at me" I told her. "Shopping isn't really my thing."

Katie let her eyes trail down deliberately over what I was wearing, before raising them back up to meet my gaze.

"I would never have guessed" she told me in a sweet but mocking tone. "What about you two? Have you got a show again today?" I nodded.

"Yeah, we do two on a Saturday and Sunday afternoons."

"How many days do you work?" Asked Emily.

"We're dark on a Thursday" I answered. Katie and Emily stared blankly at me. "That means we don't have a show that day – but we work the other six days."

"Work hard, but party harder!" Said Cook with his usual enthusiasm. A thought suddenly occurred to me.

"How many shows have you seen since you've been here?" I asked them.

"Just one" answered Emily sheepishly.

"Ours is the only show you've seen?" I asked in wonder. The twins nodded. "So, you've been in the entertainment capital of the world for three months and seen _one_ show?" More nodding.

"We didn't come here for sight-seeing, we came here to become stars!" Katie insisted.

"I would love to see some shows, but Katie's not interested" said Emily.

"Cook's the same" I told her. "Except he'll go see the magic shows at least." A thought suddenly occurred to me, and it was out of my mouth before I had a chance to think about it. "Well, you and me should go one night" I told Emily. "I'll call in a favour and see if I can get us some cheap tickets for something." Emily looked truly happy at the suggestion, which made me smile. She deserved to have a night out that she would enjoy. Besides, I quite liked the idea of spending time with her just the two of us.

* * *

A cacophonous braying on the door woke me up. I stared with bleary eyes at the digital display of my alarm, willing the numbers to stop spinning. It was just after seven in the morning. It was Monday morning - what the fuck could be so urgent at this hour? I slid ungainly out of bed, and headed for the door to my room. I fixed my best 'this better be good' look to my face, and threw open the door to reveal Cook. He was grinning maniacally, and was bouncing about on the balls of his feet. I wondered if he had overdosed on Red Bull again.

"Great news, Blondie!" He exclaimed as he pushed past me into the room. If he's about to tell me that he's fucked Katie, I will not be held responsible for my actions. Information like that can wait until a proper hour of the day. I slammed the door shut and turned to face him. He sat down on the desk. Cook and I were each staying in a hotel room at The Garda Resort, and although the rooms were comfortable, there wasn't much room for sitting about. Our intention had always been to rent somewhere out in the suburbs, but for now the hotel was far too convenient to think about moving. I slumped down onto the bed facing Cook.

"Well?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I've got the money" he said simply. My bad mood evaporated in a second, as his words sank in.

"What? All of it?" Cook nodded at me.

"Yep. Well, it'll take a bit of time, but it's all..."

Fuck, I knew this was too good to be true.

"Cook! What the fuck? We can't mess about over this - can you definitely get it?" Cook nodded again, solemnly.

"I wouldn't fuck about over this. There's a bit of legal red-tape to get through, but the money's mine to invest."

I frowned at him. I thought he was talking about an investor, but that's not what this sounded like.

"Is this legal?" I asked with suspicion. Cook stretched his arms out wide.

"Would I _ever_ do anything else?" On hearing my scoff, he quickly got real. "Seriously Naomikins, It's all above board. You don't have to worry, the Cookie Monster has sorted it."

"How?" I demanded. This was too important for him to fob me off with his patter. Cook exhaled loudly.

"Remember what I told you about my mum?"

I nodded. When I first met Cook, he gave me the same sob story that I had since heard him give to other people, about how he was a penniless orphan. Then one night a couple of years ago, he told me the truth. It had been one of those nights where we slowly got drunker and drunker over a bottle of vodka, in the dive we were staying at then. By the end of the night, we were spilling some of our closely guarded secrets to each other - although I admit that I had still held some stuff back. Cook had told me about his absent father, and the wealthy, arrogant artist that was his mother. From his description, he had been given every material comfort as a child, by a mother who didn't give a flying shit about him. He acted out against her, which she didn't take too kindly to. At the age of eleven, she had packed him off to an expensive boarding school in New England. He was expelled at the age of fifteen, by which time he had no intention of going home. Cook dropped all communication with home, and began relying on his own devices to get by. It seemed highly unlikely that she would be willing to invest in an enterprise of Cook's.

"What I didn't tell you was that my mother was Ruth Byatt" said Cook plainly.

"Fuck" was the only response I could muster.

"Exactly" muttered Cook. I stared at him. Ruth Byatt was very famous, as much for her lifestyle as for her art. She lived to create a scene, and died much the same way. I remember reading about her death in the papers about eight months ago. It was in suspicious circumstances, because she had been strangled. A famous Hollywood actor had been with her at the time and was arrested, but never charged. It seemed that her death was accidental, the result of some weird sex-game gone wrong. A conclusion that absolutely delighted the media. They took immense pleasure in speculation, and retelling every last tawdry detail that they could discover. I wracked my brain trying to remember if Cook had been affected by the news when it happened, but I came up blank. I had a vague recollection of mentioning something about the story to him, but didn't recall any sign from Cook that he knew her.

"So... you inherited her money?" I asked as the pieces clicked together. Cook was on his feet and began pacing the room restlessly.

"I didn't even think about it when she died. I didn't _want_ her fucking money, any of it, so I never bothered to find out about it."

"Until today."

"Right. I got up early so I could speak to mum's lawyers in the UK before their office closed." I nodded, suddenly understanding the need for such an early hour. There was an eight hour time difference to the UK. Cook continued. "Turns out she left it all to me - the house, the cars, the whole fucking shebang. They told me they've been trying to find me for ages – if I hadn't contacted them, it would have gone to the fucking government. There'll be some paperwork and shit to sort out, but basically I'm rich."

I couldn't help but chuckle at the bald way that Cook made that statement. I could hardly imagine treating a huge inheritance in such a cavalier fashion. Then I suddenly realised what he was offering.

"Cook, are you sure?" He opened his mouth to answer, but I cut him off. "I mean, it's a big risk, and you've suddenly found yourself owning a fortune, and the last thing you want to do is rush in to..."

"Blondie, haven't you been listening?" He asked sharply. "I didn't fucking _want_ that slag's money until now. Until I had a real need for it - until _we_ had a need for it. Our business is the only thing I've ever done that I'm really proud of, and I want to invest my money in it, because I believe we can do it. So don't fucking argue, just shake my hand." He offered his hand to me, and after a last moment of hesitation, I shook it. Once Cook makes up his mind about something, there is no going back. I could tell that he was sincerely in earnest about this, and had already given it all the thought he felt necessary. We could handle the details later. I was determined to ensure that Cook got a more than fair return for his investment - something that I probably cared more about than him.

After a business-like handshake, Cook scooped me up into his arms and gave me a tight hug. I hugged him back just as firmly. I felt a burst of excitement in the pit of my stomach, as I let myself believe that our dreams could yet become a reality.

* * *

The week sailed by. Every show went ridiculously smoothly, always to a packed out theatre. Having resolved the financial issues, it seemed like just a matter of time until everything else fell into place. I'm not superstitious, but it did feel as though our headline act was somehow just meant to be. So it was no surprise after the Friday afternoon show to see Mr Tomone hanging around outside the theatre. The sight of him activated a flight of butterflies in my stomach.

"Ah! Naomi, Cook!" He greeted us with a beaming smile. He offered his hand which we both shook in turn. "I just wanted to see you both in person to give you the news. We would like you both to go ahead with your magic show in the main theatre."

"Fucking yes!" Exclaimed Cook as he punched the air in triumph. "Oh, shit. Sorry about the language!" I was always on at Cook to reign in his potty mouth around the people who made the big decisions. Mr Tomone waved away Cook's concerns.

"I knew you would both be pleased! It is a great opportunity for you, I think." I nodded, feeling too overwhelmed to say much.

"Yes, yes it is!" I stammered out at last.

"We should have a meeting, next week to discuss it properly" answered Mr Tomone. We both nodded, and agreed to get a meeting fixed up as soon as possible. "Well if you'll excuse me, I have a matter to discuss with the costume department." With that, Mr Tomone wandered off into the theatre. For a second, I wondered absently if he was looking for Panda. It was certainly unusual for someone as busy as him to just 'pop down' to let us know the news in person. But all thoughts of Panda and Mr Tomone vanished as Cook grabbed hold of me. He span me around excitedly, before I eventually was able to regain my feet.

"We're gonna be headliners!" He roared. "This calls for a celebration tonight. Let's go fucking mental!"

I was more reserved than Cook in my expression of it, but my happiness at the news was every bit as acute as his. It felt amazing to know that we were going to get our big shot. This was really going to happen. Our dreams just took one big leap closer, and I was ecstatic at the thought of it.

* * *

**So they have the money, and they've been told they can put on a show. Who on earth saw that coming? **

**Oh, everyone?**

**Well, let me know what you think!**


	6. City Of Blinding Lights

**I have a rare weekend update for you, due to a particularly quiet weekend, workwise.**

**We have a Naomily date that's not really a date, date coming up in this chapter. I hope you enjoy.**

**Myrtle**

* * *

Chapter Six: City Of Blinding Lights

Emily

It was Tuesday morning, exactly two weeks since we first met Naomi and Cook. Their show had been given the go ahead, and they had got the money to fund it – although Katie and I were still in the dark about how they managed that. Katie and I were due to meet with them to discuss if we were going to come onboard. I wandered into the deserted theatre and noticed that I was a few minutes early for our meeting. I had left the motel alone this morning, wanting to get some breakfast before meeting the others. Katie had been impossible to stir, first thing. She had gone out on the town last night with Naomi and Cook, but I had already promised to do a shift at a bar. I was disappointed to miss it: we've had a few nights out with them through the last week, and we've always had a good time. Cook was always on the pull. It was great fun to watch him at work - when it wasn't directed at me or Katie, that is. He knows what he wants, and pursues it relentlessly. His chat-up lines are bold and direct, and more often than not earn Cook a hefty slap. But he quickly shrugs any such setbacks off, and moves on to the next target. Cook is a man who plays the averages: he doesn't mind the slaps and the rejections, because sooner or later, he gets what he is after.

Less fun to watch on our nights out was Naomi. I had twice more seen her get off with some random guy, and soon afterwards she was nowhere to be found. Cook seemed convinced that she had gone home with the random. I had to admit that it seemed the most likely explanation. I couldn't help feeling just a little jealous - I felt like Naomi and I had made a connection on our first night out. But since she's clearly straight, I won't bother wasting any time pining for her.

"You won't _believe _what happened last night!" The voice of my sister brought me out of my reflections. She walked into the theatre looking dramatically around her to see if we were alone. For the moment we were. She sat down next to me and leaned conspiratorially closer. "Naomi..."

"Who'd she get off with this time?" I asked dryly, not really wanting to hear it but knowing that I would do anyway. Before Katie had a chance to answer me, Naomi herself walked into the theatre, deep in conversation with Cook. They stopped talking when they saw us and gave us a friendly greeting. Katie crossed her arms in front of her and stared at Naomi as though willing her to explain herself.

"What?" Asked Naomi with a shrug. She slumped heavily down into a seat nearby. "What?" She asked more insistently, when Katie made no answer.

"What the fuck was _that_, last night?" Asked Katie, arching an eyebrow imperiously. Naomi gave another shrug, clearly in no mood to offer explanations.

"What happened?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"Well, our resident magician here..." Katie gave a theatrical nod in Naomi's direction. "...was on the pull again, but she should have gone to Specsavers, because she ended up snogging a _girl."_ Katie announced it as though it was the most shocking piece of gossip imaginable. I tried my hardest not to gape at this new development. Naomi rolled her eyes and looked thoroughly bored with the conversation.

"So? What's wrong with that?" She asked. "It's the twenty-first century, Katie. Bigotry is SO old fashioned."

"I'm not a bigot!" Declared Katie quickly. "I just didn't think you were a lezzer, that's all."

"I'm not" said Naomi simply. "I just happen to like women as well as men." Katie stared at her.

"So you're bi?"

Naomi rolled her eyes again.

"Yes, Katie. If you absolutely feel the need to label me, then yes, I'm bisexual."

"So how does that work?" Asked Katie frowning.

"It doesn't 'work', it's just how I am" answered Naomi shortly. "I either fancy someone, or I don't. Whether they're male or female doesn't really seem to come into it."

I stared between the two of them as their conversation progressed, trying not to show any emotion. I couldn't help wondering why Naomi hadn't mentioned this to me when we talked about _my_ sexuality. Okay, so not everyone is open about things like that (I'm certainly not) but Naomi didn't seem fazed by it coming out now. And one glance at Cook told me that this wasn't new information to him. I felt a little hurt that she hadn't at least mentioned it.

"So... have you always known?" Asked Katie, not ready to let this drop just yet.

"I don't know" said Naomi casually. "I didn't always know what to _call_ it, but I guess I've always liked both sexes. I suppose I didn't think much of it until I was about thirteen. That's when I saw Shakespeare In Love - and I just couldn't decide if I fancied Joseph Fiennes or Gwyneth Paltrow more." She rose to her feet, effectively drawing a line under the conversation. "Come on. Let's go through to our rehearsal space. It's easier to talk through there."

Katie looked like she had more questions to ask, but she let it be. She stood up, and followed Cook as he walked to the backstage area. I took my chance to have a quiet word with Naomi. I placed my hand on her arm as she started to move off, and instead she stood still waiting until the other two were out of earshot.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked quietly, trying not to sound hurt. "When you told me you knew I'm gay?" She wouldn't meet my eyes.

"I don't know, I just... we weren't talking about _me, _that was about you." Finally, she looked up to meet my gaze, and I saw that she looked a little contrite. "I'm sorry" she muttered awkwardly. I just shrugged and indicated that we should follow after the others. I wasn't really sure why I was bothered that she hadn't told me.

We followed after Cook, and found ourselves in a room that looked a bit like a dance studio, with hard-wood floors, and ceiling-high mirrors all along one wall. Four hard plastic chairs had been set out, and we all took a seat.

"So the show's got the go-ahead" began Naomi. "We met with the hotel management yesterday to sort out the details. It's full steam ahead, and we open in three months time."

"Three months, is that enough time?" I asked. Naomi nodded thoughtfully.

"It makes things pretty tight, but we should be ready by then, if we all work hard. The only thing to sort out now, is if you two are going to join our little troupe?" She looked expectantly at the two of us. It was high time I spoke up.

"Listen, I don't really want to be a performer…" I began uncertainly. Naomi had me anticipated.

"So let Katie do most of it. You'll just be there to be the double a couple of times. Katie can be the one acting as my assistant for most of the show. The idea is that no-one knows there's two of you."

I nodded, feeling slightly happier about that. It sounded like I wouldn't really have too much focus on me during the show.

"We still get two salaries though, right?" Demanded Katie.

"Yes of course" answered Naomi quickly. "We'll pay a fair wage for the two of you, but it's probably better if we just have one of you actually on the payroll officially."

Naomi's words suddenly shone a light on things for me. I had felt from the start that Katie and I hadn't been given the full story about what our involvement in the show would entail, but something now seemed obvious to me.

"One of us is going to have to stay completely hidden, aren't we?" I asked. Naomi's eyes met mine, the guilty expression on her face was unmistakeable. "_Off_ stage, as well as on it" I added. Naomi sighed slightly.

"Yes, that'll have to be part of the deal." I opened my mouth to say more, but Naomi beat me to it. "Not completely hidden" she added quickly. "I mean, you can both go out, just not… at the same time." Her eyes drifted downwards on the last words, as she realised how restricting that sounded.

"What, _ever?"_ Asked Katie.

"Well it depends on where you are" added Cook, joining in to the conversation for the first time. "You could both be out, just as long as you weren't together."

"At least until the show opens, that is" said Naomi awkwardly. "Then you'd have to be really careful that you both don't get seen. There'll be loads of media interest then and…"

"Media interest?" Asked Katie. I rolled my eyes, as a familiar sinking feeling descended. I knew fine well that Katie could be quite easily won over by that. Naomi and Cook clearly saw that too, and launched into extensive tales of publicity interviews and such like. Katie's eyes shone with excitement. "Well, just staying out of sight won't be too hard, will it?"

Shit.

That was easy enough for Katie to say, but I knew the truth: it was _me_ that this little clause would have the biggest impact on. Katie _always_ got her way. If we were both wanting to go out at the same time, she would never be the one to sit quietly at home and let me go out.

The conversation carried on a short while longer. Naomi and Cook did their best to sell their proposition to us. Katie was very keen. This was the sort of chance she had been dreaming of, and I could see that she had no intention of letting it go. I had my reservations, but who was I to stand in the way of Katie's dreams? In the end, I knew I didn't really have a choice. As usual, Katie's will would carry through. I had to admit that the salary they were offering us was generous. They had also talked the hotel management into letting us have a room each at the hotel. The thought of no more sleeping in the bath tub was definitely a draw. So we agreed to the deal, and Naomi promised to have a formal contract drawn up soon. Seeing our keenness to move out of the Motel, she offered to help us move out of there the following morning. Katie and I readily agreed.

"Excellent!" Said Naomi, once everything was settled. "We can start on rehearsals next week." Cook nodded his agreement. Katie and I stood up to leave, since the other two had an afternoon show to prepare for. Naomi also stood up and cleared her throat awkwardly.

"So Emily, I can get some tickets for a show tomorrow night, if you fancy it?"

"Yeah, sounds good" I answered with a grin. I had hoped that Naomi would remember her promise for the two of us to see a show together. "We could make a night of it if you like – get a meal somewhere? My treat."

I agreed, trying to suppress a shiver of excitement at the thought of Naomi – now not as straight as I originally thought she was – asking me out for dinner.

* * *

The next evening, a light tap on my hotel room door announced the arrival of my date. Then I gave myself a mental check: Naomi hadn't called this a date, I shouldn't let my imagination run away with me. Besides, if Naomi's antics during our previous nights out were anything to go by, she liked to sleep around. I wasn't necessarily looking for some huge commitment, but I wanted something that could last for more than one night. I cast a quick glance at my reflection: I had dressed carefully for the evening, in a strappy, summery dress, with a thin cardigan to cover my shoulders. The cardigan wasn't for when we were outside – the scorching desert heat only relented a little after sun-down. It was for crossing through the hotel casinos, which always felt chilly. I had read in a guide book that oxygen was pumped into the casinos along with the air-conditioning, in order to keep people awake – and gambling. Every care is taken in Vegas to keep people parting with their money. That's why you can never find a clock in the casinos. They don't want their customers keeping track of the time.

I slipped on my shoes, and opened the door. Naomi was there to greet me with a warm smile. I tried not to grin at the obvious way that Naomi's eyes darted appraisingly over my whole figure. She's not the only one who can see when she's being checked out, I though smugly. Speaking of which, I did my best to check her out as unobtrusively as I could. She looked casually beautiful in skinny jeans and a pretty top. Her hair was still straightened, as it was for her shows.

"You look great" said Naomi, her eyes finally meeting mine, after lingering over my curves. "Shall we go?" I agreed, and followed Naomi as she led the way towards the elevators.

A short walk from the hotel later, and Naomi and I walked into The Cathouse Restaurant at The Luxor Hotel. We were shown to our table and sat down on the black leather seats in near darkness. Naomi ordered a bottle of wine then we both peered hopelessly at the menu.

"It's a bit of an odd place" said Naomi apologetically. "But the food really is great."

When the waitress returned with our drinks she offered us the use of a flashlight to see the menu. We ordered, then I settled back in my seat to take in my surroundings. 'Odd' was certainly a word that sprang to mind. Huge chandeliers hung from the ceiling, emitting nothing beyond a pale glow. Electric-blue lights shone from the walls and the ceiling, creating an eerie shimmer to the room. We were seated in a booth of high–backed leather sofas, situated near one wall. Further up the wall, there appeared to be a small room set back from the dining area and covered by a glass wall. As I watched, a light went on inside. It was a small dressing room, and a woman in nothing but bra, knickers and stockings sat there elegantly applying her make-up, seemingly oblivious to the restaurant. I glanced at Naomi, who just shrugged.

"Typical of Vegas, right?" She said. "They have to use sex to sell everything – even the food. This place is designed to look like some sort of European Bordello. Still…" She glanced over to the figure behind the glass, "…It's not a bad view, is it?" I giggled, and started to feel a little more relaxed.

* * *

After a really excellent meal, and a bottle of wine between us, Naomi led the way out of The Luxor. We ambled along The Strip, before crossing over to The MGM Hotel. We went inside and made our way to the theatre. Naomi had got tickets for Cirque du Soleil's 'Kà'. She handed over our tickets, and we were soon sat down anticipating the show.

"You can't really come to Vegas without seeing a 'Cirque' show" explained Naomi. "They're such a big spectacle. I thought you'd like this one, because it's about imperial twins. Their land is thrown into war, and they get separated, not knowing if the other is alive or dead. The story is about their struggle to find each other again." She lapsed into silence as the theatre descended into darkness.

The show was breathtaking. They used music, costumes, acrobatics, clowning, and all sorts of things to tell the story. I felt immersed in the action, as the actors moved not just on stage, but amongst the audience as well. The stage itself had been a moving platform, tilting as needed to be a sheer rock face in one scene, or a sandy beach in another.

"What did you think?" Asked Naomi as she led the way out of the theatre.

"That was… wow!" Was the best response I could manage. Naomi laughed at my lack of vocabulary.

Soon we were sat in a bar with a couple of drinks, as we discussed the show.

"You must get inspired by watching stuff like that" I asked.

"Yeah, of course" said Naomi. Her eyes were shining with enthusiasm. "Anything like that inspires me, you know? Shows me what I can do to push things further. Magic's a completely different media, but the magic is just one part of it. The best magic shows use music, drama, comedy, storytelling… basically, all different theatrical techniques to enhance the effect."

I stared at her as she spoke. She had such passion for her subject, that it was infectious. I wanted to find out what had her so captivated by magic. I wanted to see if I could discover that passion for myself, in something that I had previously dismissed as being just for kids.

"So how come there aren't more women in magic?" I asked. Naomi frowned.

"I'm not sure, really. I guess it's got this appearance of being about silly tricks – puzzles, and stuff. It's mainly men that like that kind of stuff – computer games, things like that. But when you scratch the surface of magic, it's so much more than that. The _puzzle_ – the method – isn't really what's important."

"It's not?" I asked. Naomi shook her head firmly.

"No, not really. There'll always be hobbyist magicians, who want to know how it's all done – want to look for more ingenious methods all the time. But for an audience, as long as they don't suspect how it's done, the method doesn't really matter at all. If I fool you with something, it doesn't matter if I've done it with state-of-the–art computer equipment, or a bit of thread and some sticky tape, because you will never _see _the method." I nodded, trying to follow what she was saying. I could easily picture her having many a long conversation with Cook about things just like this.

"But magic's quite sexist as well, really. I guess that puts a lot of women off" she continued. "For years, women weren't even allowed in magic clubs. And magic's stayed still for a lot of years – it's still pretty sexist really, when you think about it."

"What do you mean?" I asked with a small smile. Naomi grinned back at me, clearly enjoying my interest in her subject.

"Think of almost any big magic illusion that you've seen on TV: you see women sawn in half, you see them split into pieces, you see them put in a box while the magician pierces them with swords. The woman – the assistant – is always on the receiving end of all this violence from the usually male magician."

I snorted with laughter at that. Naomi looked amused at my reaction.

"I'm serious" she argued. "It may not always be obvious, but a lot of magic tricks at least have the _vibe _that magicians don't like women." I frowned as I thought back over every TV magic special that I'd ever seen. Were they really all like that? Naomi continued. "It was in the 1920's that sawing a woman in half was first performed. It became so popular because it was seen as a statement against the suffragette movement."

"Really?" Naomi nodded fervently.

"Yes. The guy who invented it offered to pay the daughters of Emmeline Pankhurst – leader of the suffrage movement in England – to be his assistants. They were involved in the suffrage movement too. The offer led to a lot of publicity for the illusion."

I chuckled at this quite unexpected piece of information. Naomi suddenly blushed.

"Sorry, I tend to go on a bit too much. You should stop me when I get going like that!"

"Don't be silly" I argued. "It's interesting." We both lapsed into silence for a moment, before Naomi changed the subject.

"So how do you like Vegas so far?" She asked. I thought about that for a moment.

"It's growing on me" I answered. Naomi grinned. "You like it?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I love it. There's always _something_ going on here. It doesn't matter what time it is, you'll always find something to do. And it caters to every budget, whether that's shops, shows, restaurants. It has expensive restaurants with real Picasso's on the wall for the mega rich, it's got $10 buffets for those on a budget, and everything in between, no matter what cuisine you're looking for. People say it's like Blackpool, but that's bullshit. We never do things on this scale in England, it's just so… _huge!_" She paused, and took a thoughtful sip of her drink. "Did you know that the Sphinx outside the Luxor is actually _bigger_ than the real one in Egypt? Of course the real one isn't made of polystyrene, but…" I laughed at that. I watched as Naomi hastily downed the rest of her drink. I felt a little disappointed at her sudden haste – I didn't really want our evening to end just yet. "Why don't we go on somewhere?" She asked, as though reading my mind. "It seems too early to go back to the hotel yet. We could go on to a club maybe?" I grinned at her and nodded. Right in that moment I felt ready to follow Naomi wherever she wanted to lead.

* * *

**Ooh, that sounds like one of them at least is a little smitten!**

**Let me know what you think!**


	7. Silence Is Easy

**Thanks once again for all reviews! There was a lot of interest in them about my - er, that is Naomi's - little rant about sexism in magic. One of my hopes with this story is to show you the world of magic as I see it, which of course has to include the bad side. Magic itself is not sexist, but so many magicians seem intent on making it so. I'm sure that it's the same in many other male-dominated fields. I love magic, but I have a real 'love/hate' relationship with magicians. Some of the nicest guys I know are magicians, but some quite frankly are wankers! **

**And I've long since had the opinion that there is something a little odd about the type of person that is drawn to magic as a hobby. (Yes, I do include myself in that!) The fact that it was JJ that was into magic in Skins is just another example of how well observed the show can be. I'll probably give more of my thoughts on that - through Naomi - later on.**

**This chapter goes out to Lazyboo, who's lovely comments last Sunday really made my day. If you aren't reading the excellent 'No Barrier' then quite frankly, I doubt your sanity. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

**Myrtle**

* * *

Chapter Seven: Silence Is Easy

Naomi

I was really enjoying spending time with Emily. I was glad that she agreed to go on to a club, because it meant that our evening wasn't over just yet. I took her off The Strip to an area affectionately referred to as 'The Fruit Loop'. We made our way to a club that I have often been to. The place was already pretty busy when we got there. I watched as Emily took in her surroundings. There was a huge dance-floor, plenty of comfy seating areas, and an area with pool tables and arcade machines. There was also the omnipresent slot machines all along the bar. Emily studied the couples on the dance-floor, before turning towards me with a grin on her face.

"This is a gay club?" She asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. Since it's just the two of us, I thought we may as well come here. Come on, let's get some drinks." I grabbed her hand and led the way through the crowd to the bar. Once served, we leaned back against the bar, drinks in hand to survey our surroundings. We fell comfortably into conversation again. The more I got to know Emily, the easier I was finding it to talk to her. I just had to try and stop myself from rambling on in my usual way when she shows an interest in magic. When I get talking about magic, I have a habit of prattling on regardless, oblivious to any signs in my listener that I'm sending them to sleep. Emily did seem to be genuinely interested though, which I found endearing.

"Let's dance" said Emily suddenly, as we finished off our drinks.

"I'm not much of a dancer" I answered hesitantly.

"Rubbish. You danced with me before." Well, she certainly had me there. On our first night out with the twins, I had danced with Emily. I usually only dance when I've had plenty to drink, and even then not very often. Without alcohol, I feel too self-conscious to move the way that I should do. Emily sensed my hesitation. "How come someone who stands on stage for a living, is afraid to dance in a nightclub, when no-one's even watching you?" I shrugged.

"That's different" I told her. "When I'm on stage, I'm in control. I know what's going to happen."

"Ah, so you're a control freak eh?" She asked.

"No, I just..." Emily smiled broadly at me.

"Yeah, I've got the measure of you Naoms. Just let yourself relax, I won't let anything happen to you." She winked, and took my hand. I was surprised at the easy way that she let a nickname for me fall from her lips, and how nice I thought it sounded, so I momentarily forgot my resistance. Emily led me gently but firmly to the dance-floor. Fuck it. Emily was keen to dance, so I should put away my insecurities for her sake. Besides, I already had quite a bit of alcohol sloshing around in my system.

Somehow, dancing with Emily just felt effortless. Away from Katie's 'man-trap' approach, Emily danced with much more freedom, and much less affectation. Impelled by her example, I found myself really letting go and enjoying the moment. After a while, I noticed the approving looks flowing in our direction. I reminded myself that we were here because I wanted to make this Emily's night. I glanced around at the girls nearby, and saw that a very pretty brunette was blatantly checking Emily out. Since she was probably unsure if the two of us were a couple, I decided to give her a helping hand. I leaned closer and explained to Emily that she had attracted some interest. I nodded in the direction of the brunette. Emily glanced over, then seemed to hesitate. I guessed that she was probably a little rusty with the whole dating scene.

"Go over to her" I suggested. Emily frowned and seemed unsure of herself. "She's obviously really into you" I insisted. "At least give her a smile." As Emily turned back around to face the brunette, I suddenly remembered something. I placed a hand on her upper arm to stop her. "Remember your name is Katie" I told her firmly. Emily span back around and stared at me.

"What?"

"Tell her your name is Katie. We can't be too careful, remember?" That made Emily falter.

"But what if Katie finds out about this?"

"How will she?" I asked with a shrug. Emily was hardly likely to start bringing girls back to meet her twin. She looked like she had more to say, but the middle of a night club is hardly the place for such a conversation. She frowned, but turned to face the brunette. I slinked away from the dance-floor to leave them to it. I watched as the two of them moved closer and began the usual awkward attempts at conversation, over the noise of the music. Soon they were dancing together. I sighed to myself and headed to the bar for another drink. I ordered a shot of Tequila and turned back towards the dance-floor to watch Emily's progress. The brunette was clearly very keen. She slid her arms around Emily, pulling her closer. I threw the shot down my neck, glad of the burning sensation. It distracted me from another feeling, somewhere in the pit of my stomach, that I didn't want to enquire too deeply into.

* * *

Much later, and Emily and I were zooming back to the hotel in a taxi. We were both pretty well wasted by now - especially me. I had remained at the bar while Emily and the brunette danced together, trying not to watch them constantly, as they flirted and kissed. For once I didn't really feel like trying to pull for myself, so I had hung at the bar like a spare part, getting drunker and drunker, trying my hardest not to send jealous looks in Emily's direction.

"So, did you get her number?" I asked, trying to convince myself that I was simply being curious.

"Who, Chloe's? Yeah, we swapped numbers. She promised to call me tomorrow." I nodded and stared absently out of the window. "No action for you tonight?" Asked Emily with a smirk. "You usually seem to end up going home with someone."

I opened my mouth to say something, but instead I just shrugged. A part of me wanted to tell Emily the truth about me, but the fact that I felt that way scared the shit out of me.

"Not tonight" I said instead, trying my best to sound casual.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Asked Emily. "It's your day off, right?"

"Yes. I was planning on just relaxing tomorrow. I'll probably spend the afternoon by the pool." I hesitated, knowing what I wanted to say next, but not quite sure if I should do. Oh, fuck it, where's the harm? "Fancy joining me?" I added. Emily nodded, and we arranged a time to meet at the hotel pool.

Soon we were back at the hotel. Our rooms were on the same floor, but along different corridors, so we parted company in the elevator lobby.

"Thanks for a great night" said Emily. She leaned closer and stretched up to press her lips gently to my cheek. As she pulled back, her body remained close to me. Her hand stayed where it had rested on my arm. For a moment I just stared at her. She licked her lips, and my eyes betrayed me by staring down at them. The air suddenly felt thick between us, as I raised my eyes back up to Emily's, before letting them fall again to those moistened lips.

"So goodnight then" said a voice from seemingly miles away. I was vaguely aware that the voice belonged to me. Emily gave me a small, uncertain smile.

"Goodnight" she muttered. With a little will power, I persuaded my legs to convey me away from Emily and back to my room. I shut the door hastily behind me, and sank down onto the bed, wondering what the fuck just happened. Alcohol, was the answer that I readily snatched onto. I wasn't thinking clearly because I was drunk, that's all. Sure, Emily is cute. Okay, so she's fucking gorgeous! But to consider some sort of fling with my new assistant's secret twin sister - who, incidentally, no-one knows is gay - is _beyond_ stupid. Besides, I prefer the anonymity of never seeing someone again after I've... The idea of working with them every day is just ridiculous. I vowed to myself to keep Emily at arms length from now on.

* * *

After a lazy morning and a light lunch, I settled myself on a sun-lounger by the pool, in readiness for an even lazier afternoon. As I heard someone else step out onto the sun terrace, I turned slightly to see if it was Emily. A flash of red caught my eye.

"Oh, hi Katie. Have you seen..." My jaw dropped as I realised that it was Emily standing beside me, now sporting bright red hair. It suited her. I mean, it _really_ suited her - even more so than it did Katie. The vibrant colour flattered her perfectly. She smiled a little self-consciously.

"I figured since I'm officially Katie now when I'm out and about, I'd better at least look like her."

I nodded, staring stupidly at her, before finding my tongue.

"Yeah, Emily, it looks... it looks great" I stammered out. She smiled warmly back at me and dropped her bag down onto the sun-lounger next to mine. For a second, I wondered how we were ever going to fool people that the two twins were just one person. I had taken one proper look at Emily with red hair, and known instantly that it was her. How was a full theatre of people supposed to be fooled? Then I remembered that it wouldn't be the same. The audience in the theatre wouldn't know that there was two of them, like I did. Also, with stage make-up on they would look more alike than ever. As these thoughts passed through my mind, I found myself still watching Emily as she stripped off her outer layer of jeans and a t-shirt, to reveal a blue bikini underneath. Unconsciously, my eyes trailed over every inch of her now revealed skin, all thoughts of the show vanishing in a flash. I had to remind myself to keep breathing in and out. The sun felt so much hotter than it had done a second ago, as my eyes came to rest on Emily's toned midriff. I gasped inadvertently at the sight of her pierced belly-button, a small, silver ornament dangling there. A soft chuckle from Emily alerted me that my staring hadn't gone unnoticed. I hastily snatched up my book as I felt a blush creeping over my face. Emily moved her bag to the ground, and stretched out across her sun-lounger.

"Thanks again for last night" she said. "You'll have to let me return the favour sometime."

"Of course" I answered with a smile, whilst steadfastly staring at my book. "There are plenty of amazing shows to see in Vegas."

"Do you think ours will match up to them?"

I shrugged.

"I really hope so. If we put the work in, I think it will do."

Further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Cook.

"Ah, two of my favourite ladies!" He declared as he walked over to us, his arms stretched wide in greeting. His eyes raked approvingly over Emily, taking in her red hair, and every inch of her figure, without any attempt at being subtle. "Looking good, red! I like it!" He told her with a nod of his head. Emily simply smiled at him. "So, did you two ladies have fun last night?" We both told him that we'd had a good time. "You should come out with me, next time Emily" Cook announced. "I could really show you a good time." He wiggled his eyebrows to emphasise his point.

"Yeah, maybe" answered Emily disinterestedly. A phone began ringing, and Emily immediately started hunting through her bag for it. She located her phone, and I watched as a grin slid across her face as she checked the display. She made her excuses, and hurried away from us both as she answered it. Cook sank dejectedly down onto her empty lounger.

"I'm not getting _anywhere_ with either of the twins!" He declared unhappily.

"You're wasting your time with Emily" I told him, without even thinking about what I was saying. Cook picked up on it straight away.

"How come?" He asked.

"I just don't think you're her type" I answered quickly, immediately trying to back-track. It was too late though, Cook was already on to my little slip.

"Are you telling me she bats for the other side?" He asked, his delight at this news evident in his voice.

"You can't say anything, okay?" I insisted with a little sigh. "She's not out yet, and definitely not to Katie." Cook held his hands up.

"Don't worry Blondie, I won't say anything." His eyes crossed to the other side of the pool, where Emily was currently talking on her phone. "At least that's one mystery solved." I chuckled at Cook's unflappable confidence that every straight woman must want to fuck him. Inadvertently, my eyes drifted across to Emily too. I watched her as she played absently with her hair, giggling flirtatiously into her phone. Cook saw where my gaze lay. "Oh, fucking hell, Blondie! Don't tell me you've tapped that already!"

I tore my eyes away from Emily, and frowned at him.

"Don't be ridiculous! She's not my type" I lied smoothly. "Besides, we're going to be working together now, I'm hardly going to fuck her!"

Cook snorted at my words.

"Don't tell me we can't fuck the staff, now!" I arched an eyebrow at him. I knew fine well that I could never impose such a rule on Cook. He was determined to at least try to shag every 'fit' woman that crossed his path.

"I thought you'd struck out with Katie?" I asked pointedly. Cook sighed dramatically.

"She's not a muff-muncher as well, is she?"

"I really don't think so, Cook."

"'Cause I'm just not getting anywhere. She keeps asking me questions about 'Mr Tomone'." He said the name with a childish tone, indicating his dislike of Katie's interest. "I mean, what's he got that I haven't?"

"Money" I answered simply. "That's what Katie seems to be interested in. Maybe you should tell her about your inheritance? You might get somewhere then." Cook nodded thoughtfully at my suggestion, not put off in the slightest by the inference that Katie was a gold digger.

Emily walked back across to us, a smile fixed firmly on her face. She dropped her phone into her bag.

"Someone's making you smile, red" said Cook as he rose from the lounger. Emily blushed.

"Emily met someone last night" I told Cook, before instantly regretting it.

"Is she fit?" He asked. "'Cause if you feel like making up a threesome, just say the words!" If it was possible, Emily's blush deepened further.

"Cook!" I chided, throwing a punch at his arm. "He won't say anything" I insisted to Emily. "_Will_ you?" I said with emphasis. Cook shook his head.

"Nah, babe. My lips are sealed." He mimed zipping his lips, locking them shut and throwing away the key. "I'm off for a pint." With that, he walked away from the terrace. Emily sat back down next to me.

"I'm sorry" I told her. "I didn't tell him exactly, he just guessed. He really won't say anything to Katie though." Emily smiled.

"Yeah, you magicians seem to be good at keeping secrets" she said with a smirk. I wondered what she meant by that, but then I remembered a more pressing question.

"Was that Chloe on the phone?" I asked, trying hard not to use the same childish tone of voice on her name that Cook just used.

"Yeah, we're going to spend time together tomorrow, if I can get away from Katie." She sighed, before adding: "I mean, the _real_ Katie."

I felt a little guilty at her tone of voice. I had seen enough of the twin's relationship to know already that Emily would be the one to suffer, due to that particular clause in their contract. I vowed to myself to try and make things as easy as possible on Emily, if I found that Katie was forcing her to stay out of sight for more than her fair share.

"So what are you going to tell her?" I asked. I figured that Katie would invariably want to know where Emily was going, if she was heading out without her twin. Emily looked suddenly unsure of herself.

"I don't know, but I'll have to think of something." She stared off absently across the pool. "Unless I can sneak out without seeing her" she added.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just tell her the truth?" I asked gently. Emily shook her head.

"What, 'hey Katie, Naomi and I went to a gay club last night, and now I've got a hot date with a gorgeous _girl_'? I don't think so!"

I Tried to ignore Emily's description of Chloe as 'gorgeous'. And the fact that she referred to their meeting as a 'hot date'.

"Well, why not?" I asked. "She didn't bat an eyelid when she found out _I_ like girls. Well, _hardly _batted an eyelid." Emily sighed.

"You're not related to her though. She thinks it reflects on _her_ somehow, how _I_ live my life."

I let out a little snort at that.

"Emily, you are your own person! Katie should just want you to be happy."

Emily shook her head sadly.

"She does want that, but she..."

"She wants you to be happy as long as it's 'normal', is that it?" I placed air quotes with my fingers around the word normal.

"No, it's not like that." Emily lapsed into silence, and seemed agitated.

"Emily, you shouldn't give a fuck what she thinks."

"But she's my sister" she argued.

"Yeah, your sister, not your keeper. Listen, I know what it's like to live under someone else's opinion of you. You can't live like that, it's..." I let out a breath of air and threw myself back against my lounger. An unsteady mix of emotions washed through me. I was straying into territory that I much preferred to keep to myself. Thankfully, Emily didn't notice my disquietude, due to her own feelings.

"I will tell her" she said resignedly. "But I need some more time, that's all." I didn't argue any further. I could see that Emily was really finding it difficult to even think about coming out to her family. I hoped for her own sake that she would find the strength to do it soon. I could see that hiding such a big part of herself away like that was squashing her confidence, and stopping her from reaching her full potential.

* * *

**Sometimes it's funny how your own story gets away from you - there is some stuff in this chapter that I didn't think we'd be reaching just yet. But I'm not one for endless rewrites, so we'll just have to trust that it will work out okay in the end.**

**Let me know what you think!**


	8. No 1 Crush

**Firstly, I need to set the record straight about a mistake that I have since realised that I made in chapter six. Although P.T. Selbit (the man largely credited with inventing 'sawing a woman in half') did publicly offer a weekly wage to Christabel and Sylvia Pankhurst to be sawn in half, they did not actually accept his offer. In many ways, I feel better thinking that they had sense enough to not get involved with it! ****My point still remains the same though. The resulting publicity from the offer firmly cemented the illusion in audiences minds as an attack against those 'troublesome' women of the suffrage movement. **

**I apologise for the error - I know people are enjoying the bits of history etc that I'm putting in this story. I'll try to keep them as acurate as possible, but of course when it comes to history, sources can be wrong, misleading, misinterpreted etc. I may go back and correct the chapter, for the sake of accuracy.**

**By the way, the chapter title is '#1 Crush', (ie 'number one crush') named after the Garbage song, but FFN dropped the '#' when I uploaded it!**

**But on with this chapter! And I hope you enjoy it.**

**Myrtle**

* * *

Chapter Eight: #1 Crush

Emily

Another week soon went by, and when Monday morning arrived, it was time for us all to start working on the new show. I waited until Katie texted me to say that she was in the theatre, before heading down there myself. It was another precaution that Naomi had insisted on so that we didn't get seen together while moving through the hotel. Everyone else was already assembled when I arrived. It was my first time in the larger theatre. I felt suddenly quite daunted by the size of the stage, and the amount of seats all facing towards it. Seeing that we were all together, Naomi led the way through to the backstage rehearsal area.

"So" she began with enthusiasm once we were all seated. "The first thing we need to do is to plan how the show all fits together. We have a lot of different elements, but they need to come together as a whole."

Soon we were all in deep discussion about the show. Cook and Naomi had worked out most of the tricks that would go into the show, but their ideas on how to present it, and how it would all fit together were still rather vague. As before, they were both keen to listen to any ideas either Katie or I put forward.

"I've been thinking" said Katie after a while. "You need to start off with something really big, you know? Something spectacular. Like, make an elephant appear or something."

Naomi chuckled.

"Katie, you _do_ realise that magic's not real, right?" Her default setting of sarcasm was firmly in place. "We can't just _make_ an elephant appear. We actually need to HAVE an elephant, in order to do that!"

Katie rolled her eyes and tutted at Naomi's tone.

"I know that! Can't you get one?"

Naomi stared at her incredulous.

"Yeah, maybe we can catch one, eh Cook? Everyone knows that elephants are native to the Nevada desert!" Katie bristled at Naomi's derision. Signs were beginning to show that tempers were getting short. Our progress throughout the morning had been slow, and Naomi seemed to be getting a little tetchy.

"I meant from a zoo or something" said Katie sulkily. "Well if not an elephant, then a lion or a tiger maybe. The Mirage hotel has some white ones. They would look great in a magic show. Can't you borrow them?"

Naomi let out a hollow laugh.

"Yeah, the white would contrast so beautifully with my blood, as they mauled me to death." She threw her hands up in a defeated gesture.

"You've heard of Siegfried and Roy, right?" Pitched in Cook. Katie and I both nodded. "Those white tigers are theirs. They used to produce them in their show, until one of them mauled Roy, live on stage a few years back."

Katie and I stared in awed silence at him. I remembered hearing something about it on the news a while back.

"It killed him?" Asked Katie.

"Nah, he's still alive, but it left him in pretty bad shape" answered Cook.

"No live animals" said Naomi firmly. "Definitely nothing that's wild and lethal. There's a reason they say 'never work with children or animals'. Both are unpredictable."

"Well making a rabbit appear is hardly the effect I was thinking of" said Katie with a shrug. Naomi shook her head.

"At least a rabbit can't kill you if it's in a temper, but they're still unpredictable. I used to make one appear at the end of my kids show - I would show a box empty, then a rabbit appeared in it. One day, it had diarrhoea." She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the memory. "I didn't even realise 'til I'd lifted it out. It took me ages to clean out the box afterwards - I'll never know how one little rabbit can create so much shit."

We all chuckled at the image, and some of the tension seemed to lift.

"We need a break" announced Cook, getting to his feet. "I'll go get us some coffees."

"I'll give you a hand" said Katie, following Cook as he made his way out of the theatre.

An awkward silence fell as Naomi and I were left alone. She picked up her notebook that she had been scribbling in all morning, and poured over it. I watched her as her eyes darted over the page. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but a few loose strands fell across her face. She bit her bottom lip absently. I suppressed a sigh as I watched her. I was pretty confused by Naomi's mixed signals. Our night out together had been really great. She had really started to relax around me, particularly in the club. But just as I was wondering where things might be heading between us, she started trying to set me up with another girl. That had really thrown me. So I danced with Chloe, just like Naomi suggested. But since Naomi had pushed me towards Chloe, how come I kept getting the distinct feeling that she was jealous about her? In the taxi, and the next day at the pool she had sounded almost surly when she mentioned her. And I am _positive_ that Naomi checked me out when I stripped down to my bikini. Not to mention the definite... _something_ between us as we said goodnight to each other after the club. It was all very contradictory. She is one frustrating woman.

Unlike Chloe. Chloe is bubbly, fun and not afraid to show that she's interested in me. I had spent time with her on a couple of occasions since meeting her. I had fun with her, but I knew that things weren't going to go very far between us. For a start, she didn't live in Las Vegas. She told me that she lived in L.A., but often made the short flight to Vegas for her work. She left for home on Sunday, but had promised to call me the next time she was in town. I must admit, I had breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that I wasn't likely to bump into her around every corner. That could have caused some awkward questions from Katie's direction. I already felt uncomfortable enough, having Chloe thinking that my name is Katie. When we first met up, I kept looking over my shoulder in a panic whenever she called me that, as though I expected my sister to be fuming her way towards us. It had taken me nearly half an hour to settle down and get used to it. But since Chloe is obviously interested in me - unlike a certain blonde I could mention, who seemed intent on staying aloof - I saw no harm in having a good time with her. I was just going to have to forget about having any feelings beyond friendship for Naomi.

As Cook and Katie strolled back into the room with some coffees, I realised that Naomi and I had sat in silence throughout their whole absence.

"I forgot to mention" began Cook as he sat back down. "I've got to go back to England for a bit." Naomi looked up at him sharply.

"What? When?"

Cook shrugged, unconcerned.

"End of the week. There's some papers to sign, and I need to show some I.D. before I can get my dosh. I won't be gone long." At the mention of money, Katie's interest was caught. She looked questioningly at Cook. A broad grin spread across his face. "I'm a wealthy man, now!" He explained. "I came into some money when my mum died." He waved away our condolences before we could properly form them into a sentence. "Nah, don't worry about it, I'm not cut up over her death. It's the nicest thing she's ever done for me."

Katie and I exchanged a stricken look over Cook's offhand manner.

"Cook's mother was Ruth Byatt" added Naomi, providing us with all the missing information in those last two words. Cook nodded serenely.

"So, _you're_ the missing heir?" Asked Katie. Naomi and Cook looked askance at her. "It was all over the news" Katie explained. "She left everything to her son, but no-one had seen him for years. The lawyers have been trying to track you down for ages!"

Cook spread his arms wide in an open gesture.

"That's me. I guess that part of the news didn't reach the States."

"So how much money was there?" Asked Katie. I spotted an eye-roll from Naomi at her words, but I didn't say anything. I knew Katie wasn't as money-mad as she sometimes appeared, but Naomi had obviously already made up her mind about that.

"Enough for us all to have a BIG night out, my treat!" Announced Cook. Katie beamed at him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Asked Naomi with an exaggerated sigh. "The twins _can't_ go out together!"

Cook leapt dramatically to his feet.

"One last time can't hurt!" He declared. Naomi shook her head forcefully. "The show's three months away yet!" Cook persisted. "We'll shove a wig on one of them." Katie picked up on the suggestion immediately.

"Yeah, I could wear a wig!"

Naomi rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

"No, that'll draw just as much attention!"

She was fighting a losing battle. Katie and Cook were so determined for us all to have one final night out together, that they kept wearing away at her until she eventually agreed.

"For fuck's sake, Okay!" She said at last. "Katie, wear a wig. I'll have a word with Panda to sort it out properly. But nothing too conspicuous!"

Katie was no longer listening. As soon as Naomi had agreed, Cook and Katie launched into a babble of chatter, both talking at once, about where exactly our night was going to take us. I glanced across at Naomi and caught her eye. We shared a knowing smile over the other two's excitement, our first real contact of the day with each other. Then the moment was gone as Naomi's business-like attitude descended once more.

"Well if you're swanning off home soon, don't you think we should get on with the show?" She asked pointedly. Katie and Cook both fell silent, before regaining their chairs and attempting to look ready for work.

"Who'll be the bear?" Asked Katie suddenly. Three sets of eyes stared confusedly at her. "In the show!" She added. "If Cook's gone for a few days, who's gonna be the bear that appears in the show?"

"It's not exactly highly trained work" said Naomi with a wry smile. "No offence to Cook, but it's just someone dicking about in a bear suit. I'll get one of the stage hands to fill in."

Cook clutched his heart in mock indignation.

"Am I so easily replaced?" He asked in a wounded tone. Naomi chuckled at him. "No, you twat. Just the bit in the bear costume."

"How come you're not in the show more?" I asked Cook. It was something that I had been wondering about for a while, and this seemed like as good a moment as any to ask. Naomi and Cook referred to themselves as partners, yet their existing show had only Naomi's name officially attached.

"'Cause I'm not swanky enough" said Cook with a shrug. "I'm too rough around the edges to be taken seriously, but Naomi here has the polish. She can talk proper, and stuff." There was no rancour behind his words, just a clear stating of how he saw things. I chuckled at his description of himself, but I could see the wisdom of what he had said. Cook was a very talented magician, but he lacked a certain finesse that was expected of stage performers in Vegas.

"But we could _use_ that 'rough around the edges' persona somehow, in the new show" I stated, as an idea occurred to me. Naomi leaned forward, giving me her full attention. I had seen Cook using his skills before the show to warm up the crowd. His natural charm quickly won people over. I felt sure that could be useful. "You could get someone on stage, and pick their pockets - but let the audience see what you're doing."

"Yeah, I get it" said Naomi, giving me a warm smile. It sent a slight shiver down my spine. "Get some posh guy on stage and nick all his stuff - chuck it to Katie or something, so that the audience can see. The audience are laughing, but the guy on stage can't see why."

Cook bellowed with alacritous laughter.

"Emilo, that's a fucking ace idea!"

"You have to give the stuff back" added Naomi with a smirk.

* * *

Ready for our night out, I headed back to the theatre to meet the others. Katie had gone down earlier to meet Panda, so that they could pick out a wig together. As Panda was also free tonight, Cook had invited her too. I walked into the theatre and came to an abrupt halt as I took in Katie's appearance.

"Well, what do you think?" Asked Katie as I gaped at her. I wasn't sure what to say. I felt certain that this wasn't exactly what Naomi had in mind. Before I had a chance to gather my thoughts, a wolf-whistle behind me announced Cook's arrival.

"What the actual fuck!" Announced Naomi's. I chanced a peek at her. She looked stunned at the sight of Katie, dressed in her usual bordering-on-slutty clothes, but now also sporting a bottle-blonde beehive hairdo. It was gigantic - an eagle could quite happily have nested in it. Katie struck an elaborate pose.

"What do you think?" She asked again, clearly very pleased with herself. "I saw this one and just _had_ to wear it!"

"Jesus Fucking Christ, Katie! I said _inconspicuous_!" Huffed Naomi. "That hairdo's bigger than you!"

Katie just shrugged, unconcerned.

"I don't DO inconspicuous" she said with authority. Naomi looked set to argue further, but Katie wasn't prepared to listen. She marched up to Cook and held her arm out to link with his. "Shall we?" She asked, with a last look around at the rest of us. Naomi shook her head in exasperation, but followed out after Katie and Cook, mumbling her complaints to Panda instead.

As we all walked along The Strip, Cook was in his element. Just him and four women together perfectly suited his ego. I felt sure that he thought of us as his harem. He walked in the centre of our group, one arm around Katie's shoulders and one arm around Panda's shoulders, having already been shrugged off by Naomi. He led the way towards what he declared to be the best steak-house in Vegas.

"Now listen up, ladies. You're money's no good here, alright? Everything is on the Cookie Monster tonight - food, booze, prostitutes. Whatever you want."

"Thanks Cookie!" Said Panda. "But you can have my prostitute if you like - I'm not bothered."

Cook was true to his word. We had a great meal, along with plenty of wine - or in Cook's case, beer - all paid for by him. Then he took us on to a nightclub, again insisting that any drinks were on him. Since he hadn't got a hold of his inheritance yet, I assumed he must be dipping into his own savings for the night. There was no arguing with him though - if he saw one of us heading towards the bar, he followed quickly after and insisted on picking up the tab.

Since this was his night, he had tried his hardest to persuade us to go to a strip club, but the suggestion had been shot down in flames.

"There's no way I'm having some skanky slut waving her arse in my face!" Katie had insisted. Cook turned his pleas to Naomi, Panda and myself in turn, but to no avail, so we headed to a more regular night spot instead. Once again, I saw that Cook and Naomi seemed to know every doorman in town. We never had to queue to get in anywhere. They must have made it their business to get to know a lot of people in Vegas. I remarked on it to Naomi, as the two of us sank into seats in a comparatively quiet part of the nightclub. Cook, Panda and Katie had headed straight for the dance floor, but since Naomi didn't seem keen for dancing, I decided to keep her company for a while.

"That's how Vegas works" she answered. "It's all about who you know. We've spent loads of time getting to know the right people since we got here. The sort of people that might recommend our show to the tourists." She shrugged casually. "It may sound a bit mercenary, but there's no harm in being nice to people, is there?" I nodded my agreement. Naomi and Cook could certainly be charming when they wanted to be, but it always felt sincere.

I glanced across the dance floor and chuckled at the sight of Katie dancing her heart out. Her eyes constantly darted across the faces of the men nearby, watching for any sign that she had their interest. Seriously, I don't think my sister knows the meaning of the word 'inconspicuous'. Naomi had given up trying to persuade Katie not to draw a crowd. Just as well, really. Saying that to Katie was like telling Jordan to stay away from the press. Eventually realising that I was watching her, Katie beckoned me over to join her. At first I resisted, preferring to remain near Naomi. But Katie was not to be denied, and soon marched over to make her entreaties face to face.

"Go ahead" said Naomi, with a wave of her hand. I felt a little hurt by her offhand indifference to me, so I followed Katie back onto the dance floor.

We strutted our stuff for quite some time. Panda was dancing too, but her movements were way too erratic to allow anyone very close to her. Cook spent some time jumping wildly up and down alongside us, before going off on his usual pursuit of - as he so elegantly informed us - a fanny-forage. Naomi resolutely ignored our requests to join us. Some time later, I spotted her entangled in a passionate clinch with some random girl. I told myself that I didn't give a flying fuck what she did with who, and turned back towards Katie.

But some time later, I found myself seeking out that familiar blonde hair. I had lost track of Naomi's movements, and anxiously wanted to know where she was. _Just to make sure she's okay_, I kidded myself. But a search of the club didn't produce any information, and the unhappy realisation that she had probably left with the random girl began to take root. By that time, I was too drunk to deny that the burning sensation in the pit of my stomach was jealousy. I hated the idea of Naomi spending the night with some slut. Suddenly, I was sick of the sight of the club, of Katie, and everything else. I just wanted to go back to my room by myself and mope. There was no more denying it - I had a _huge_ crush on Naomi.

* * *

**I am also currently working on a little one-shot smutty follow up to Best Served Cold. Watch out for that coming soon, probably next week. And since there's nothing even vaguely resembling a plot to it, I think I'd better give it an 'M' rating! **

**Oh, and the rabbit anecdote? That happened to me last December. _Not_ an experience that I would like to repeat any time soon!**

**Anyway, let me know what you think!**


	9. Ruled By Secrecy

**Here we go again. Thanks for your lovely reviews, and thanks also to those that reviewed 'Get It While It's Hot'. For those that missed it, it's a one-shot follow up to Best Served Cold that I posted last week. Just a little bit of smut that I felt like typing, since we're still quite a way from that in this story. Fear not though, we will get there eventually. There is a plan. **

**To Vaskon: JJ, Freddie and Effy will be making an appearance before too much longer. They are going to put a spanner in the works for Naomi Campbell and Co...**

**Enjoy! Myrtle.**

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Chapter Nine: Ruled By Secrecy

Naomi

On Tuesday morning, I woke up alone. But then, I always did. I know Cook and the twins assume that I'm promiscuous, and sleep with most of the people that they see me with, but it's just not true. In reality, I haven't had sex in... well, lets just say that it's been a while. I admit that I've never set the others straight about their assumptions of me. Sometimes it's just easier to let people make their own minds up. That way usually avoids any awkward questions from arising. My reluctance would be difficult to explain anyway. It's not due to any bad sexual experience, I'm not a virgin, I'm not scared of sex - nothing of the sort. I just don't want that intimacy with anyone right now. Sure, I get off with people that I find attractive. You could even say that I'm a bit of a serial snogger, if you like. Things may even get a bit 'handsy' at times, but it never goes any further. As soon as I suspect that they're looking for something more than just a bit of kissing, I manage to sneak away and slip back to my hotel room alone. If I find that I'm particularly het up, I release the tension by myself.

I had only just woken when there was a pretty insistent banging on my door. I crawled out of bed and opened it. Katie was stood there smirking at me, impossibly bright-eyed and well groomed for a morning after a night out.

"You were supposed to be down in the theatre twenty minutes ago" she informed me. I snuck a glance at the clock. She was right, I was running late for our rehearsals. I had a vague memory of simply rolling over when my alarm went off earlier. I had tried to instil into everyone the need for regular get-togethers while we're putting the new show together, so I wasn't really helping my own cause.

"Sure, I'll get ready" I grumbled in answer. I hoped that Katie would go away at that, but she stepped with confidence into my room. She peered around her with the air of someone keen to find out secrets.

"Rough night?" She asked with a smirk, whilst staring at the unmade bed. I just shrugged. "Oh my GOD!" She suddenly exclaimed in startled amusement. "What the _fuck_ kind of kinky stuff are you into?" Katie leaned down and snatched up a three foot long piece of rope from the floor. She held it gingerly at arms length and gazed at me with her eyebrow arched, challenging me to offer an explanation. I rolled my eyes at her.  
"Katie, that's _magician's_ rope" I insisted. "I use it for magic, not for tying up non-existent sexual conquests." I spread my arms wide and motioned looking around the room, to emphasise that there was no one else present. I found myself wondering vaguely if 'tying-up-fun' was particularly out there anyway, in terms of 'kinky stuff'. I always thought it was the sort of thing that most people tried at some point in their life, but I kept that opinion to myself. I snatched the rope back from Katie, who's smirk had now become a very smug look. Clearly, she thought that I had spent the whole night tied to the headboard, by someone who had risen and left early. I was in no mood to argue my innocence further. "Was there something else you wanted?" I asked pointedly. Katie finally took the hint and left me alone to get ready.

* * *

The week went by pretty quickly. The early stages of pulling the show together went as smoothly as we could have hoped for. By Thursday though, Cook had to fly back to England to sort out the paperwork for his inheritance. I knew he wasn't going to be gone long, but I felt a bit lost without him around. We had been together as a partnership for quite some time now, and he really was my right hand man. Plus he's usually the one to say when we're working too hard and need to take a break. He can read my moods really well, and can often see straight away when I'm getting wound up about something. My tendency is to keep going whenever something begins to get problematic - an approach that frequently leads to frustration and a loss of temper. Cook's technique is to take a time-out instead. That way we come back to a problem with a calmer mind. I can see the sense of his reasoning, but without his presence, I am more likely to persevere with things beyond a sensible level.

I could have done with his influence during the week's latter practice sessions. Without him around to talk ideas through with, I was getting wound up about one or two things. Things were getting a bit strained between myself and the twins, too. Katie and I both have a similarly short temper, a certain recipe for friction. As for Emily, I really don't know what's going on there. I thought we were getting on better, but she's been somewhat aloof around me all week. Our casual banter of recent times has disappeared, replaced by an awkwardness that wasn't there before. And whenever we do talk one on one, she seems determined to bring up Chloe. I mean, I know I was the one to encourage Emily to get with Chloe, but does she have to keep banging on about her? It all made me very uneasy, and added to my already stretched temper.

On Friday morning, I was in the rehearsal room as usual with the twins. I was trying to walk Katie through some of her moves for a particular trick, but she just wasn't getting it right. She was getting more frustrated by the minute, and was beginning to act like a right stroppy cow. Emily wasn't needed for that particular piece, so she was sat to one side of the room texting someone. The constant beeping noise from her phone was grating on my nerves. Not to mention the fact that I was convinced it was Chloe she was texting.

"So I stand here, and extend my arms like this, right?" Asked Katie, getting it wrong yet again. I rolled my eyes at her.

"No, just do it how I bloody showed you!"

Katie's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That IS how you showed me!" She insisted. "Don't fucking shout at me you fucking magic-freak." I felt my temper bubbling over at her use of the nickname.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I snapped back, getting right in her face. Emily looked up sharply from her phone, but I didn't look away from Katie. Katie bristled, and looked set for more harsh words. "You've been a right bitch all morning" I carried on. Something inside me told me to back off, but I ignored it. "If you've got PMT, it's not _my_ fucking fault."

More anger than I had ever seen flashed in Katie's eyes for a second. I felt sure that a barrage of words were about to be hurled at me, but instead she did something that I wasn't expecting. She turned and stormed from the room without a backwards glance. I stood there gaping stupidly at the space she had just vacated. I had never expected Katie to back away from a fight like that.

The sound of Emily rising to her feet brought my mind back to the room. I turned and stared at her, expecting her to look as stunned at Katie's actions as I was. Instead, she just looked pissed off. _Very_ pissed off, and it was clearly directed at me. I squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Brilliantly handled" she said sarcastically, as she moved to follow Katie. It took the wind right out of me.

"But... I'm sorry, I..." I burbled pathetically. Emily cut me off with a wave of her hand.

"You should think about other people's feelings every once in a while, you know?" With that, she followed after Katie without another word. I stood by myself in the rehearsal room, dumbfounded by what had just happened. Sure, I had lost my temper needlessly, but had I really been that unfeeling? Katie and I had sniped at each other before this, but she had always given back just as much as she took. I couldn't shake the feeling that Emily was referring to more than just this particular incident.

* * *

I felt ill at ease for the rest of the day. There was a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, that only parted company as I stepped out onto the stage for my afternoon show. Being on stage gives me a calmness that I rarely feel elsewhere. For me, performing takes complete concentration, and forces my mind to remain in the moment instead of dwelling on other concerns. It is the perfect way to avoid getting stuck in your own thoughts.

As I finished the show, the unsettled feeling descended once again, and I knew that I would be unable to relax until I had resolved this. I headed up towards the twins rooms, desperate to sort this out. Their rooms were next to each other, and I stood awkwardly in the corridor, wondering whose door to knock on first. Finally, I made a decision and rapped soundly on a door. At first, there was no reply, and I wondered if I might not even be able to find them. Then the door slowly opened to reveal Emily. She took one look at me then walked back into the room leaving the door open, wordlessly but not graciously inviting me in. I took a deep breath and followed after her.

"How's Katie?" I asked. Emily shrugged.

"She's okay. She's gone shopping, to cheer herself up." I chuckled at the thought that retail therapy would always be Katie's answer. Emily looked up sharply, so I quickly stopped.

"Look, I don't know what happened earlier, I..."

Emily sighed and sank down onto the bed, all of her anger seeming to trickle out of her.

"You weren't to know, I suppose" she said resignedly. I moved closer and sat down next to her.

"Know what?" I pushed. I had felt all day like there was something going on that I wasn't aware of, and now I was sure of it.

"When you mentioned PMT, that's what pushed Katie over the edge" said Emily. I frowned at her, waiting for her to elaborate. "Katie went through the menopause early." Emily left those words hanging in the air between us.

"Oh" was my only response at first. My initial thought was how lucky she was to not have the bother of periods anymore. But then I realised what else that meant, and I suddenly felt so callous. "Shit!" I exclaimed aloud as awareness reached me. "Katie can't have children."

"That's right" answered Emily with a small nod. "She was twenty one when it happened. She thought she was pregnant, so she went to the doctors, and that's when she found out what was going on." I just stared at Emily, not knowing what to say. I felt awful for my unfortunate choice of words earlier, that had understandably had a big effect on Katie. Emily continued. "She'd just gotten engaged. She was mad as hell at first, thinking that a baby was coming _before _the wedding. But they had already talked about starting a family, so they were coming round to the idea."

Katie hadn't mentioned being engaged. I had no idea that she had been that close with somebody.

"They split up?" I asked. Emily nodded sadly. I could see that what Katie had been through had affected Emily heavily as well. My heart went out to the two of them.

"Yes, a few months later" she told me. "He said it wasn't because she couldn't have kids, but I think that's always what Katie thought."

A memory stirred in me of something that Emily had mentioned once.

"You said you didn't come out to your family last year because some family stuff came up?"

Emily gave me a doleful smile.

"Yeah, that was when they split up. Katie seemed to be dealing okay with the early menopause, but splitting up with Scott really hit her hard. I think being with him had made it a bit easier to deal with, so when it ended it was like she felt both losses at once. I couldn't come out to everyone while she was so upset."

I reached my hand across to Emily's and gave it a gentle squeeze. We both lapsed into silence for a while, as I took it all in. It explained a lot about Katie that I hadn't understood before. No wonder she wasn't looking for the traditional 'happy ever after'. She thought she had that already, but it had been cruelly snatched away. I could appreciate how that could make her cynical about love, and determined to use something else to fill that void.

"So that's why she wanted to come to Vegas" I said at last, voicing the result of my train of thought aloud. Emily let out a bitter little chuckle.

"No, the final straw was finding out that Scott is about to become a dad."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, that really hurt her. She knew that he had a new girlfriend, but the fact that she fell pregnant so quickly just felt like a real kick in the teeth to Katie."

"So you both ran" I said absently. I wasn't judging them for it - far from it. I know fine well what running away feels like. It had been my own solution some years ago. "I should apologise to her." Emily shook her head firmly.

"Don't tell her that I told you all that. Just apologise for losing your temper." I opened my mouth to argue, but thought better of it. If Emily said it was better that Katie believed me to be ignorant, then I would trust her on that. Besides, with all the secrets already floating around the place, what was one more to throw on the pile?

I looked across at Emily, who looked deep in thought. She still had hold of my hand, but I wasn't sure that she was even really aware of that. I could see how much all of this had affected her. She cared deeply for her sister obviously, but it had also taken another toll by making Emily decide to stay in the closet. A decision that, from what she had told me, was probably a factor in her failed relationship. And while Katie's pain had been known by their family, Emily had been forced to endure her own distress alone and in secret. A lesser person would have been eaten up with bitterness, but I was sure that no such emotion had entered Emily's heart. I found a new respect for her as I thought about what she had gone through. The urge to confide some of my private thoughts to Emily rose up inside me. The feeling was alien and uncomfortable, like a new pair of shoes yet to be broken in.

"You really should tell your family the truth" I said gently. Emily's eyes focused on me once more as she left her internal musings. "There's never going to be a 'perfect' time to tell them, but if you keep it a secret, you could end up regretting it." I took a deep breath and broke eye-contact. I gazed steadfastly at the sheets covering the bed. "My parents are both dead" I said quietly. A sharp intake of breath told me that Emily had taken in my words. "I was sixteen, and they were in a car crash on the motorway." Emily squeezed my hand reassuringly. This time _I_ had forgotten that our hands were still connected. "The last time I spoke to them, we argued. Nothing important, you know?" I gave a shrug, and swallowed hard. "Just the usual stuff that a teenager argues about with her mum and dad, but that's the last thing we ever did together." I took a deep breath, trying to wrestle the tremble in my voice back under control. These were old memories - it happened about ten years ago - but I rarely spoke about them anymore. Usually, I found it easier to keep personal things to myself. Cook knew this stuff, but hardly anyone else in my life now was aware of it. I wasn't even sure why I was sharing this with Emily, but something was making me open up to her.

"That must have been tough" said Emily, a clear note of concern in her voice. "But I'm sure they knew that you loved them." I nodded, buying time until I felt sure of my vocal chords.

"Yeah, they did" I answered at last. Emily was right. Our last words may have been in anger, but I knew that I had been on good terms generally with my parents.

We carried on chatting for quite some time more. It felt good to feel the atmosphere between us lift. Emily seemed to recognise that I had been more open with her than I had been with anyone for quite some time. I found it quite scary that I had opened up to her so willingly - and without the aid of alcohol - but I also felt strangely tranquil about it. I feel a peace in Emily's presence that is similar to how I feel when I'm performing my show. And like when I'm on stage, there is also an accompanying fluttery sensation, somewhere in the depth of my core. It's a pleasant emotion, and on stage I know that response is necessary to keep me on my toes because anything can happen. But with Emily, those vibes both alarmed and enchanted me in equal measure.

* * *

Exhausted but happy after the second of my Sunday shows, I headed towards my dressing room with every intention of collapsing onto the small sofa there. All thoughts of that disappeared as soon as I opened the door. There stood Cook, returned from his visit to England. I grinned happily at him, and wrapped my arms around him as he pulled me in for a trademark hug.

"How was England?" I asked.

"Wet, and fucking miserable!" Answered Cook with a laugh to his voice. "Same as ever. What about things here?"

I hesitated, not sure how much of my spat with the twins I should fill him in on. I had spoken to Katie after my chat with Emily, and we had managed to clear the air between us. I had apologised for being quick tempered, and Katie had laughed it off as just a case of getting out of the wrong side of bed. I hadn't mentioned what Emily had told me, and Katie certainly had no intention of telling me herself.

In the end, I opted for telling Cook that there had been some short tempers, but I didn't tell him what I had learned about Katie. Nor did I tell him what I had shared with Emily.

"So the second my back's turned, you lot scratch each others eyes out!" He declared with a laugh. "Oh, I wish I'd been here. I love a good cat-fight."

"It wasn't like that" I insisted, but I could see that Cook had already made his mind up about it. He waved away my defence with a casual gesture.

"Just make sure you let me know before the next one" he told me, a dreamy look in his eye. "There could be oil of some kind involved."

"Fuck off" I told him, but I couldn't stop a broad grin from spreading across my face. I had missed Cook, with his crude jokes and constant innuendos.

"So, did you miss me then?" He asked suddenly, as though reading my mind. I gave him a casual shrug.

"Well, it was much quieter, without you here. But yeah, I missed you, you stupid fucker." He beamed happily at me. "The guy who stood in for you as the bear was crap" I added after a beat. Cook smiled softly at me.

"Yeah, you missed me, Blondie" he said while placing a kiss on my forehead. I didn't argue with him.

* * *

**And I think we just had the first Buffy quote of the story there.**

**Let me know what you think! (Of the chapter, not Buffy)**


	10. Do You Feel Like I Feel?

**We've got Naomi tying Emily up in this chapter. I bet you didn't think we were quite there yet!**

**A trick is explained in this chapter, but I have no qualms about that because it's not really based on any actual trick. It's kind of loosely based on something that I've seen, but not for this type of effect. Various magicians do an effect where they disappear from one bit of the stage and reappear elsewhere - I've seen Mac King, Lance Burton and even Derren Brown do it - but as far as I know, none of them have identical twins!**

**This one goes out to ****StEpHyGrOcK3107, for teaching me the expression 'La Verga' which literally translates as cock, but as an expression it means that something is fucking awesome. It seems much like the English expression 'The Dog's Bollocks'. Like Eddie Izzard once said, you can say to the Queen 'your majesty, that dress is the dog's bollocks' and she would be very pleased.**

**Anyway, on with chapter ten. Hope you enjoy!**

**Myrtle**

* * *

Chapter Ten: Do You Feel Like I Feel?

Emily

Time moved swiftly, and the date of our first performance loomed ever closer. I longed for the days to pass more slowly, but that only made the passage of time seem quicker. There was still nearly two months to go, but that felt like no where near enough time. The more I thought about stepping out onto that stage in front of a full audience, the more nervous I became. The prospect didn't seem to be daunting to anyone else though, so I did my best to keep my feelings to myself. Besides, out of everyone in the group, mine was the smallest role. I was only to feature in two routines. Naomi and Cook had both insisted that to overuse my presence in the show would make the method more obvious.

Naomi and I were alone in the rehearsal room. We were going through my part in a particular illusion. It was a short performance piece towards the end of the show. I would stand with my back against a solid frame, positioned to one side of the stage. Naomi would tie me to it. A cover would then be pulled across, hiding me from view. Moments later, Naomi would whip back the cover to reveal that I had vanished. Then Katie - dressed identically - would appear at the other side of the stage.

Naomi was walking me through what I had to do. In reality, the frame only _appeared_ to be solid. It looked like a sturdy sheet of metal, but in actual fact the back swung away allowing me to escape. When performed on stage, the apparatus would be close to the wings, and I would simply slip off stage unseen. When I was tied to the frame, one of my wrists would be tied by a slip-knot, allowing me to undo it quickly and untie the rest of the knots.

I stood against the frame, as Naomi strapped me firmly to it. I had to hide a small shudder of excitement as a myriad of more intimate scenarios for those actions invaded my mind. Especially given our close proximity while she tied me. Naomi leaned nearer, her brow furrowed in concentration. I took in a faint waft of her unique scent, and found myself staring at her long, elegant neck. As usual during rehearsal time, Naomi had her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, leaving her neck exposed and tantalisingly close to my lips. The temptation to lean forward and taste her skin was agonising.

Once I was securely tied, Naomi's eyes met mine. She seemed slightly taken aback to find the distance between us so short. She bit her lip, something I had noticed she did when she was either concentrating, or slightly unsure of herself. We paused, frozen like that for longer than was strictly necessary. Naomi seemed to be holding her breath - I know I was.

"Right! Coffees, and I thought we deserved a treat as well!" Announced Cook in his booming voice. He strolled into the room followed by Katie. I cursed their arrival, because I could have sworn that Naomi had leaned almost imperceptibly closer just before the disturbance. Still, I reasoned that it was probably for the best. If they had come in to find us kissing, that would have been hard to explain to Katie. I glanced across at Naomi, who had taken the quickest step backwards from me that I had ever seen at their arrival. There was a faint blush covering her cheeks, and I was pleased to discover that the tension between us was not just in my head.

Cook stepped closer to me, seemingly unaware of the atmosphere.

"Ooh, Emilio! I think I like you like this!" He said, gesturing to my strapped wrists. An exaggerated sigh came from Naomi.

"Fortunately for Emily, she can loosen herself from that in a matter of seconds" she answered in a bored tone that I was certain was forced. I longed to prove her right, feeling suddenly uncomfortable in that condition, but she had not yet shown me how to release myself. Naomi seemed to realise that, so she stepped closer, pushing Cook out of her way. She showed me how to let the first of the knots loose, studiously avoiding my eyes. Once my right wrist was free, I moved swiftly to undo the rest of the knots. Naomi watched my progress, then nodded curtly as I stepped away from the apparatus.

"Good. That was pretty quick for a first go" she muttered. Finally her eyes met mine, and she gave me a small smile. I returned it, hoping that things weren't about to get awkward between us again. Before I had a chance to dwell on that, Cook thrust a coffee into my hands.

"I got some muffins as well" he declared, handing round a paper bag. Soon we were all sat in silence, tucking into our muffins.

As I ate, I looked over at Naomi. She stared off into the middle distance, apparently lost in thought. I found myself wondering if there was a chance of the two of us ever getting any closer. She certainly didn't make things easy, but there were definite signs that she liked me too. And the memory of her surprising revelation about her parents was still fresh in my mind. The fact that she had opened up so readily for once had really touched me. It was such a pure, unguarded moment from a woman that was normally so reticent. Things had been less stilted between us ever since then, but I still felt that there were more things that I didn't know about her.

"You alright, Blondie?" Cook's concerned voice cut through the silent room.

"Huh?" Naomi stared at him with unfocused eyes. "Oh, er yeah." She shrugged. "I was just er... thinking about the bullet catch."

Cook frowned at her words.

"You still haven't heard back from him?" He asked. Naomi shook her head. The equipment that we needed for the bullet catch trick was supposed to be here by now, but nothing had arrived yet. Naomi was having a hard time getting hold of the guy that she had ordered it from. They were beginning to get concerned about it, because we still needed time to rehearse the routine before it could go in the show. Cook clicked his tongue in irritation. "Maybe we should go see him." Naomi chuckled.

"Fly to L.A.? You just want to go to the Magic Castle."

Cook grinned back at her.

"Well, I suppose we could do that too!"

Naomi shook her head firmly.

"No, Cook, we don't have time. I'm sure he'll be in touch soon."

"What's the Magic Castle?" Asked Katie. "Is that Disney?"

"Nah, it's a magic venue" answered Cook. "It's this big mansion in L.A. You go for dinner, and see a magic act as well. Real posh place - there's a dress code and everything. And it's really exclusive. You have to be a member, or a member's guest to get in."

Katie looked slightly incredulous that Cook could ever get inside somewhere even vaguely exclusive.

"We're not going to L.A.!" Said Naomi decisively. "I'm sure the stuff will be here soon."

* * *

A couple of days later, I was in my room getting ready for an evening out. Katie was sat on my bed, watching me apply my make-up. I felt a little self-conscious - I hoped Katie wouldn't realise that I was taking more care than usual over my appearance. I was spending the evening with Naomi. We were going out to see a show, and I had also insisted on treating her to dinner.

"So what show are you seeing?" Asked Katie. She scooped up a magazine from the floor and began idly flicking through the pages.

"Not sure" I answered with a shrug. Since Naomi could usually get cheap tickets for shows, I had let her sort that out.

"Urgh, what if she takes you to one of the topless shows and tries to 'gay you up'?" Asked Katie with a mock shudder. I didn't bother answering, but Katie wasn't in need of a response. "Or what if she drags you to a gay bar, after the show?"

"I'm sure she wouldn't take me anywhere I didn't want to go" I said impatiently. It was the most neutral answer that I could think of.

"It's a bit odd though, isn't it?" Said Katie cryptically. I left off from putting on my lip-gloss to turn and face her.

"What's odd?" I arched a questioning eyebrow at her. I had a sinking feeling about where this was going.

"All that shit about being bisexual."

Yep, I knew it.

"In what way, 'odd'?" I turned back towards the mirror. I knew I shouldn't encourage Katie on the subject - I would only get myself wound up at whatever she had to say.

"Well, it just doesn't make sense!" Katie sounded genuinely confused at the idea. "If she likes guys, why not just stick to them?" I suppressed a sigh.

"Is her being with a girl really so terrible?" I asked. I watched Katie's reflection frown.

"No I suppose not - if she was _gay. _But she isn't, is she?"

"You can't choose who you fall for, Katie." My make-up finished, I turned back around to face her. "And it's not always black and white, you know? Not everyone is either gay or straight. Sometimes it's not that clear-cut."

"Well, it is for me" said Katie with a dismissive shrug.

"Yeah, and me" I said softly. "Katie..." A rap at the door stopped my sentence before it was formed. I opened the door to reveal a grinning Naomi.

"Hey, you look great" she said, casting her eyes appraisingly over me.

"Watch it Campbell, I'm onto you" snipped Katie. Naomi jumped slightly in surprise, not even aware of Katie's presence. I pushed the door open a little wider, to show Katie perched on my bed. "Well have fun, ladies" she said as she rose to her feet. She gave me a quick hug, before adding "Let me know if she tries to grab your boobs, yeah?" She turned towards Naomi with a grin to show that she was only kidding. Naomi and I exchanged awkward smiles as Katie took her leave. Once she was gone, Naomi visibly relaxed.

"No boob grabbing: check" she said with a smile. She mimed ticking it off on an imaginary list.

"She didn't actually tell you not to" I answered with a flirtatious wink.

* * *

This time Naomi and I saw an earlier show, then went for dinner afterwards. We thoroughly enjoyed the show, then went to a beautiful Italian restaurant in the Bellagio hotel for our meal. The food was lovely, and the wine flowed easily. We chatted comfortably with each other, our banter pleasantly flirty.

As the restaurant got quieter, Naomi bribed a waiter to move us out to the terrace to finish off our drinks. The terrace was right next to the lake outside the front of the hotel, and was a perfect spot to witness the famous Bellagio fountain. From eight o'clock onwards, the fountain plays every fifteen minutes, so we didn't have long to wait for it. We both sat in awe as the jets of water exploded into life, dancing to the sound of 'Viva Las Vegas' piped into the air.

"You've gotta love Vegas!" Said Naomi with a grin as it finished. "It's the middle of the desert, water is scarce, but they have a show like that every fifteen minutes!" She downed the last of her wine, and sat back in her chair.

"Do you want to go on somewhere else?" I asked, trying hard not to sound too hopeful. Naomi shrugged.

"I'm not in the mood for a club tonight." I nodded, hoping that my disappointment wasn't showing on my face. "But I've got a bottle of vodka back at the hotel. Feel like joining me?" Naomi suddenly grinned as she realised what she was suggesting. "No boob grabbing - Brownies honour" she added. She held her left hand up with three of her fingers raised together in salute.

"You were in the Brownies?" I asked. Somehow, I couldn't imagine a seven year old Naomi doing anything like that.

"Yep." She gave me a lopsided smile. "Well, I may have got kicked out for questioning the motto." I giggled. Now that _was_ something that I could imagine Naomi doing. "You have to promise to serve God and the Queen, so I wanted to know why. It turned out that Brown Owl didn't like tough questions about atheism and republic manifestos."

* * *

Soon we were back at the hotel. We were sat on the floor in Naomi's room, both with our backs to her bed. There was a bottle of Vodka on the floor between us. We had eschewed the use of glasses, both opting to swig directly from the bottle instead.

"Do you ever get nervous before a show?" I found myself asking. I hadn't intended bringing up my nerves, but I was getting more and more tipsy by the minute, and was no longer deciding what I was going to say. Naomi shrugged.

"Not with the current show, 'cause I know what I'm doing. But I usually get nervous before a _new_ show." I nodded, feeling slightly better that I wouldn't be the only one that was apprehensive on opening night. I suspected that Naomi would still handle her nerves better than me though.

"Don't worry" she said, patting my knee. "If you really fuck up, everyone will just think it's Katie." She giggled, a clear indication that she was also pretty tipsy. I frowned, not feeling any happier at her suggestion that I could really fuck up.

"So what do you do when you're nervous?" I asked. Naomi's giggling abruptly stopped as she gave the question some thought.

"Coin roll" she said at last, punctuating the air with her index finger. I must be drunker than I thought, because that just made no sense at all. Naomi caught my puzzled look. "A coin roll" she repeated, as though that would somehow make it clear. When she realised she wasn't getting anywhere like that, she reached into her pocket. She had to stretch awkwardly to reach inside, but eventually she managed to retrieve a coin. "Look." I watched, as Naomi let the coin roll across the back of her hand, tumbling over each of her knuckles. When it reached her little finger, she caught it deftly with the thumb of the same hand and brought it back to the beginning to start the process again. I watched, mesmerised as the coin made it's controlled descent across her hand. "I always do this when I'm nervous" she told me. "It gives me something to concentrate on, and it helps to stop my hands shaking."

"You have magic fingers" I told her. Suddenly I was the one giggling stupidly, as I thought about what I'd just said. Naomi quickly joined in, before we both took yet another swig from the Vodka bottle. "So what else can those magic fingers do?" I asked with a playful wink. Shit, I'm really _not_ in charge of the vocal chords tonight!

A blush spread quickly across Naomi's cheeks, making her look more beautiful than ever. Our eyes locked onto each others, and in a flash I felt suddenly quite sober. Her eyes left mine, but only to dart downwards to my lips. Time seemed to move more slowly, as Naomi's eyes met mine again. She leaned closer. I closed my eyes as her lips brushed gently against mine. She seemed to hesitate, before kissing me again, still very softly. I reached a hand up to stroke lightly across her cheek.

As Naomi moved back from me, I saw uncertainty in her eyes. She got to her feet, turning away from me. I decided in a second not to let this drop. I was on my feet in an instant.

"Naomi" I began, not really knowing what to say. I placed my hand on her shoulder. Naomi span around to face me. Before I really knew what was happening, her lips were burning against mine. She kissed me fervently this time, her tongue slipping straight between my parted lips. Her hands tangled in my hair, as I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her into me. She kept moving forward, pushing me back until we both tumbled backwards onto the bed, Naomi landing on top of me. Our lips hardly even parted for a second as we readjusted to our new position. Naomi's lips moved to my neck. I gasped for air, as one of her hands moved down to my breasts. She squeezed them firmly as she sucked on my pulse point. Then her hand reached lower, seeking the edge of my top. It slipped inside, and squeezed at my tit through my bra. Her mouth was back on mine, kissing me with so much intensity it left me breathless.

Alarm bells began to ring in my tipsy brain. As much as I loved the sensation of being surrounded by Naomi like this, I had no intention of being another one night stand to her. How many other girls had she been like this with? Not to mention the guys. Reluctantly, I placed my hands on Naomi's shoulders and held her back from me. She looked down at me with confusion, her eyes practically black with desire.

"This is too quick" I gasped out. My words seemed to snap Naomi to her senses in an instant.

"Right" she muttered as she clambered off me. I felt the loss of her body heat immediately. I straightened out my clothing, and rose to my feet. Naomi's eyes darted around the room, looking anywhere but at me.

"I'd rather take things slowly" I told her, but she didn't really seem to be listening. Her whole demeanour had turned several degrees colder. "I really like you, I don't want to be another..."

"It's fine" she snapped, cutting off my explanations. "That's fine, we just clearly..." she sighed as she gestured at the bed. "I guess we've just got different intentions."

I closed my eyes, struggling against a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I was trying to _prevent_ bad feeling between us, not cause it. I stepped closer and placed a hand on her arm.

"Naomi, I really want us to..."

"Just forget it!" She snapped, shrugging out of my grasp. It felt like she was terrified to even hear me out. "It's getting late, you should go" she said coldly, as she stooped to retrieve the bottle of Vodka from the floor. I paused for a moment, contemplating my next move. There seemed no point hanging around any longer. I grabbed my shoes, which were strewn across the floor, then turned to the door. I cast a last look at Naomi, but she had her back resolutely towards me. I sighed and slipped quietly out of her room. I resolved to try talking further with her once we were both sober. I didn't really fancy my chances though - I had a feeling I was going to be getting the cold shoulder from Naomi from now on.

* * *

**I'm sure there was some boob grabbing there, despite Naomi's promise. Still, I don't think Emily will tell Katie about it. **


	11. Oh No, Not You Again

**Well thankyou so much for the lovely response to the last chapter.**

**This evening finds me in a reflective mood. Not only is it my birthday tomorrow, but today is one year to the day since I was first diagnosed with ADD. One year on, and I am doing much better than before. Understanding how my brain works differently, and why I do certain strange things has been the answer to a riddle that I feel like I've spent my life trying to solve. **

**For those that don't know, ADD is not just the clichéd image of the hyperactive boy bouncing off the walls. Most girls who have it (myself included) have the 'mainly inattentive' type, with no hyperactivity at all. We sit quietly in class, not causing any trouble, and therefore are not likely to get diagnosed as a child. And attention is not the only problem we face. The condition is caused by neurotransmitters in the brain not firing consistently and efficiently. This causes problems with controlling and diverting attention, activating your brain to start work, and organisation. Believe me when I say that I am _chronically_ disorganised! Even seemingly simple tasks can take forever if I just can't figure out where to start. And while my body is not hyperactive, my brain is. It constantly darts from distraction to distraction, unable to tune anything out - whether that is external occurances, or internal thoughts. **

**Since an increased understanding of the condition amongst the public at large would make things a lot easier for sufferers, I hope you will forgive my little essay there. And please don't think that I am self-pitying about it (I know I mention ADD a lot!). I am well aware that there are plenty of worse conditions to have. I am lucky that I have been diagnosed, and am finding some change due to medication. And this has happened at a young enough age to still make a difference to my career. **

**Okay, are you still with me? How about we have a little chapter now? Time for that spanner in the works that I mentioned...**

**Hope you enjoy! Myrtle.**

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Oh No, Not You Again

Naomi

"Oh, you should have seen him, Em. He was gorgeous."

Katie prattled on and on about the latest guy to take an interest in her.

"Floppy hair, beautiful eyes and like, really toned figure, you know?"

For fuck's sake, why doesn't Katie have an 'off' switch? We were all lolling around in the rehearsal room, and there was no getting away from her constant chatter. Rehearsals had dwindled to a standstill, while Cook and I talked technicalities about one of the illusions. The twins had listened to our conversation at first, but Katie had quickly got bored and started on a subject that was always of interest to her: namely, her love life.

"...and he's got a friend - you should meet him" she added. I suppressed an eye-roll. I was sure that Katie often tried to set Emily up with her boyfriend's mates - regardless of the fact that Emily wasn't interested. I wouldn't mind betting that said mates were often single for a reason anyway.

"I can't, can I?" Snapped Emily, clearly as bored with the conversation as I was. "It's not like we can go double-dating anytime soon, is it?"

Emily sounded particularly pissed off today, and I felt sure that it was mostly my fault. We hadn't exactly parted on sociable terms last night, and I had been deliberately avoiding eye-contact with her all morning. Okay, so I know that's childish, but I don't know what else to do. Last night really scared the shit out of me, and I don't know how to deal with that. Things moved so quickly. One minute I'm showing her a coin-roll, the next minute we're on my bed indulging in some _very_ heavy petting. How far would things have gone if Emily hadn't stopped it? In all honesty, I really don't know - and that thought terrifies me. I haven't wanted anybody like that for quite some time, and I have no idea how to stop those feelings.

"...and he was so interested in the show as well. He really listened to me..."

I tuned back into Katie's jabbering as I realised that she was talking about our show.

"What did you tell him about it?" I asked sharply. All eyes in the room turned to face me. I stared at Katie. "What have you been telling people about the show?" I asked again, when she didn't answer me. Anger bubbled up inside me as a momentary hesitation showed on Katie's face. "You've signed a secrecy agreement, you stupid cow!" Indignation flashed in Katie's eyes.

"Don't call her that!" Snapped Emily. Great, now I have two Fitches infuriated with me - not a situation I wanted to be in.

"He asked me what I do for a living, so I told him" said Katie firmly. "I didn't tell him anything about the show. Or about Emily." I had my doubts about her statement, but could hardly argue any further. I still wanted to have the final word on the matter, though.

"Well just remember to watch what you say to people" I insisted. Katie rolled her eyes in dramatic fashion - she had heard it all before. "And don't go telling them your real surname, either." That snapped Katie's attention back to me.

"What? Since when?"

Oh fucking hell, was I the only one taking this seriously?

"This was all in your contract! Didn't you read it?" Katie shrugged dismissively. I suppressed a sigh, and began to explain. Again. "There's going to be a lot of interest from the press once the show premieres. If people know your real name, they might start digging, and find out that you have an identical twin sister." Katie drew herself up to her full height.

"I'll have you know that we Fitches are very proud of our name!"

"But you've signed a contract" I said forcibly. I was primed to argue further, but Cook joined in with a timely intervention.

"Katie chill, babe. It's like having a stage-name - all the best assistants do it anyway." Katie visibly calmed down at the suggestion that by changing her name, she would be acting like a star. Cook saw that his approach was having the desired effect. "You know Debbie McGee?" He asked. "Not her real name. She was actually christened Talulah Bibblethwaite." Not for the first time, I marvelled at Cook's consummate ease at spinning a tall tale. Katie immediately started talking about what name she could use instead. Cook caught my eye. "I think we should take a break" he insisted, obviously picking up on my bad temper. I nodded, feeling the need to leave the confines of our rehearsal space behind for a while.

I bent down to gather some of my papers together. As I straightened up, I realised my mistake. Cook and Katie had left the room at the first suggestion of a break, leaving me alone with Emily. She stared at me with a look that made it clear I wasn't going to get away without speaking to her. I took a deep breath and braced myself for whatever was to come.

"I need to talk to you" she started softly, as she moved closer. "About last night." It was a bit of an unnecessary clarification - I hardly thought we were about to discuss the weather. As usual, I tried to take the cowardly way out - avoidance.

"I don't have time, Emily. I've got to..." Emily was not to be dissuaded.

"This is an unscheduled break! _Make_ time." I could hardly argue against that. Emily must have seen my inward capitulation. She stepped closer again, and placed a firm hand on my arm. She cast a final glance over her shoulder, making sure that we were alone, before turning her eyes back to meet mine. Her anger of a few minutes ago seemed to have dissipated, and her tone was much softer. I couldn't help thinking that this conversation may have been easier if she was just pissed off at me.

"I wasn't rejecting you last night" she began. "I want you - I really do, but I want you for _more_ than just a fling." My gaze faltered to the floor. It was impossible to continue staring at those beautiful brown eyes, so full of truth and feeling. "Things just suddenly moved so fast last night."

"Yeah." That was one sentiment that I definitely agreed with. Emily's hand traced gently along my arm. I fought the urge to close my eyes and get lost in the sensation.

"I know you sleep around" she continued. "And I'm not judging you for it, but that's not what _I_ want."

I found my eyes raising involuntarily back to Emily's. I knew I should tell her the truth, but somehow the words just wouldn't come. My carefully constructed facade was one of the few protections I had. So I settled instead on a lie.

"I'm sorry, Em" I found myself saying. "I like you, but it's nothing more than that." I saw a flicker of hurt in her eyes, and wished that I wasn't the cause of it. I guess Cook's not the only one that can spin a convincing yarn.

The desire to escape this enclosed space and these stifling emotions quickly took hold. I stepped away from Emily, and away from her comforting touch on my arm.

"I'm sorry" I said with a shrug, hoping I sounded much more casual than I felt. Unable to think of anything further to add, I slipped silently out of the room.

* * *

Things remained pretty strained between us after that. I felt unable to act normally around Emily, knowing that she wanted us to be more than just friends and co-workers. I avoided being alone with her as much as possible, and we spoke with a forced politeness to each other whenever the whole group was together. Katie didn't seem to notice anything was up, although it would hardly be me that she would ask if she did. But Cook did notice, and he called me out on it one evening, as we were having a drink together in one of our favourite bars.

"So what's up between you and Emily?" He asked suddenly. The question caught me off guard.

"What?" I asked with a frown, hoping to feign ignorance. Cook grinned at me.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Nai. You've been walking on your eyelashes around each other for ages. I thought you were getting on really well." He took a swig of his pint, before slamming it down with some force on the table. He stared wide-eyed at me as an idea occurred to him. "Fuck me, Blondie! Did you shag her?" I scowled at him.

"Keep your voice down, will you?" I hissed. "Not everything is about sex, you know." Cook just chuckled as if I had told him a joke. "I haven't fucked her, okay?" I insisted firmly. The last thing I wanted was for everyone to start jumping to _that_ conclusion.

"So what happened?"

Shit, Cook just wasn't going to let this go. I took a gulp of my drink, stalling for time while I thought of what to say. I decided it was probably safest to give him an approximation of the truth.

"We _nearly_ did" I told him sheepishly. Cook bellowed with laughter, but it dried up the moment I glared at him. He gestured at me to continue. "It was the last time we went out together to see a show. We ended up back at my room with a bottle of Vodka. We were drunk, and we..." I sighed. "I don't know why I'm even telling you this."

"'Cause I'm your best mate, and whatever happened is making you cranky. Not to mention the bad atmosphere it's causing our little group."

I gave him a watery smile. Cook really does care about me - his questions weren't geared at finding out salacious details of girl on girl action. I took a deep breath before continuing.

"We kinda started kissing and... stuff, but Emily stopped it. She said she wanted things to go slower, but... I'm not really looking for that." I fell silent and gazed at Cook. I knew that he wouldn't question that idea too much. Cook was Mr Commitment-Phobe personified. He nodded slowly for a moment, apparently deep in thought.

"Right" he said at last, a slight frown creasing his brow. "So when you were snogging her, where exactly were your hands?"

"Cook!" I guess I take back what I said about him not wanting salacious details. I threw a punch at his shoulder. My fist connected quite firmly, but Cook just shrugged it off with a laugh.

"What?" He asked, with his innocent-little-boy smile. "I'm just trying to get it all clear in my mind!" I shook my head at him, and we both lapsed into silence. Eventually, it was broken by Cook. "Did you at least get her bra off?" He asked. Despite myself, I found myself chuckling at him. Somehow, he always knew how to get a laugh out of me. He grinned at me, before dropping the act and suddenly getting real for a moment. "You need to talk to her. She's an important part of the team now, and I don't want to see my girls getting upset, okay?"

I nodded, but I knew I wasn't really going to act on his advice. Emily and I had already spoken about what happened, and that had got us nowhere.

"I'll try" I said with a shrug, hoping this conversation was over.

"That's my girl" he said with a nod. "But there's one thing I need to know, and it's really important: did you see her tits?"

* * *

Time whittled by, and the date of the premiere whizzed nearer and nearer to us. We were making huge steps forward with rehearsals. Most of the show seemed to be coming together perfectly. Katie and Emily had really taken to their roles, and everyone was working very hard towards that opening night. I still didn't have the equipment we needed for the bullet-catch trick, but I had received assurances that it was on it's way. I was desperately hoping it would get here in time for our rehearsals. You can't put a trick like that in a show with only a smattering of run-throughs.

That was the only wrinkle in an otherwise smooth time. That is, until I was walking along The Strip one day by myself, and saw something that threw everything into a tail-spin. I had left our rehearsals to get us each some pastries, and was ambling my way back, glad of some time to myself. As ever, the traffic on Las Vegas Boulevard was at an almost stand-still. I crossed the road, heading back to The Garda Resort.

As I stepped onto the pavement, my eye was caught by a billboard above me. Several hotels have video-screen advertisements on The Strip, usually plugging their restaurants or their entertainment shows. This one showed a moving image of an olive-skinned man with a pointy little beard, dressed dandily in a frock coat and top hat. I ground to a halt and stared up at the image. I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach - only a magician dresses like that anymore. As I watched, the man was joined by a waif-like woman who looked thoroughly bored to be there. She draped herself elegantly over the man, who doffed his hat to the camera. He winked, and I swear to god, they had actually digitised a twinkle in his eye. In other circumstances, I would have laughed out loud at how clichéd it was. All that was missing was a little 'ding' sound effect. As I continued to stare, the sign entreated me to 'see the miraculous magic of the Marvellous McLair and the Enigmatic Effy'. Fuck me, was that enough alliteration for you?

I didn't stay to see any more. I was already off and running into the hotel. I headed straight for a newsagent, and began frantically hunting through the entertainment magazines. I quickly found a one with a full-page spread about this new show. I paid for it as quickly as I could, and headed along to the rehearsal room. I walked in and threw the bag of pastries carelessly onto a table. All eyes turned towards me.

"We've got competition" I announced. "There's another magic show, and it's going to premiere before ours."

The twins both gasped, but Cook just chuckled.

"What's the worry, Blondie? There's always another show in this town. Ours will be better, won't it?"

I took a much needed gulp of air. I suppose Cook was right - this was bound to happen sooner or later. It's not as if there aren't plenty of magic shows, and every other kind of show, already on The Strip.

"Yeah, it's just the timing is bad I guess" I said uncertainly. I flicked through the magazine until I found the relevant page, and scanned the article. "They're going to open a couple of weeks sooner than us, that's all. And they seem to have a lot of publicity behind them."

"So?" Asked Cook with a shrug. "We'll have a load of publicity too. We can buy every billboard from here to the airport if we have to."

I nodded, and sank despondently into a chair. I threw the magazine to the floor. It fell open at the same place, and the 'Marvellous Mclair's' winking face mocked me from the page.

Cook suddenly rushed forward and snatched up the magazine.

"What the fuck!"

Myself and the twins all stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Oh this is fucking great!" He ranted. He screwed the magazine in his hands, before throwing it to the ground in disgust.

"What is?" I pushed. Cook was balling his hands convulsively into fists, and I didn't like the look of it one bit.

"That fucking... TOSSER" Cook pointed accusingly at the magazine. "Was my best mate."

Oh, fuck.

I remember Cook telling me about his former partner. The two of them had been best mates, along with another guy, for ages. They worked the streets of New York together, fleecing the tourists with Three Card Monte and various other scams while the other friend kept look-out. Cook introduced them to his girlfriend, and that was when things had turned sour.

"That wanker stole my girlfriend and fucked off on some swanky cruise-liner gig without me" he raged, pacing the room restlessly. I snatched up the magazine and smoothed it out. A picture of the 'Enigmatic Effy' smirked up at me. I dreaded asking my next question, but I needed to know how bad this was.

"And the girl?" I asked Cook, turning the page towards him. He cast his eyes over it, before looking away.

"That's her" he said simply, but I could hear the hardness to his voice. Perfect. The only girl to ever break the Cookie Monster's heart, and she's in town performing in a rival magic act. Something told me that a very unpleasant reunion was on the cards. I threw the magazine down once more, and moved closer to Cook. I wanted to offer some comfort, but since I'd never really seen him this wound up before, I didn't know what to say to him.

"Look, I bet their show's really shit" I told him. It was the best I could come up with on the spot. I was distracted from further efforts by Katie's voice behind me.

"Hey Emily look. That's the guy I was telling you about."

I span around to stare at Katie, hoping that she was looking at anything other than that magazine. My worst fears were confirmed. Katie was showing the now rather crumpled picture of 'The Marvellous McLair' to Emily.

"What guy?" I asked her sharply. Katie spoke about a lot of guys, but if she had mentioned this one in particular, then I wanted to know about it.

"The gorgeous one" said Katie, as if that somehow made it clear. "I spoke to him a while back, told him I was going to be in a magic show. But it's funny, he never mentioned that he was a magician."

"Yeah, funny that!" I mocked. I added a roll of my eyes, just in case Katie missed my sarcasm. "What the fuck did you tell him about us?"

"Nothing!" Said Katie defensively. I stepped threateningly closer.

"Katie, if he knows anything about Emily, then the whole game is up, and you can both kiss this fucking job goodbye."

"I said I didn't tell him, alright?" Katie jabbed a finger at me. "How many times do I have to say it? I haven't told anyone about Emily, okay?"

I didn't particularly want to back down, but I had no choice but to believe her. I consoled myself instead by issuing some stronger rules about how careful we had to be with our secrets. The twins didn't look happy, but it was now a doubly necessary precaution. If it wasn't already too late, that is. But I felt sure that if this McLair did know any of our secrets, we would be hearing about it soon enough.

* * *

**So the thing about Debbie McGee: NOT factual, Cook just made that up. I googled 'famous assistants' in the hope of finding more people I could give funny names to, but there aren't many. Instead I found an online game aimed at young girls, called 'Beautiful Magician's Assistant'. For once, I find myself at a loss for words. I am unable to convey how much the very notion of that pisses me off! **

**GIRLS CAN BE MAGICIANS TOO!**

**Oh okay, so I found some words.**

**Let me know what you think! (Did I mention it's my birthday...)**


	12. Entertain Me

**Thankyou to those of you that wished me a happy birthday - I had a great day.**

**And look at this: as a thanks, you get a very short author's note from me!**

**Myrtle**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Entertain Me

Emily

The atmosphere amongst our little group was tense, to say the least. The reappearance of Cook's former girlfriend and former best friend as a rival magic act had caused uneasiness to all of us. In the days following our discovery that we had competition, an almighty advertising campaign had started up. The 'Marvellous McLair and Elusive Effy' were everywhere. Their omnipresent faces smirked at us from billboards, magazines, and hoardings.

Cook, normally so laid-back, became particularly tetchy at their arrival. This was a double blow to our group, considering that he was the one to act as a buffer between Katie and Naomi. _Their_ relationship became very strained. Naomi seemed convinced that Katie must have said something about our secrets in her meeting with McLair. Katie resented her suggestions that she couldn't keep stuff to herself, and flared up whenever the subject was raised. This only served to make Naomi more convinced than ever that Katie was hiding something.

I resolved to find out for myself exactly what Katie had told him. I waited until the two of us were alone one day, then brought it up in a less confrontational manner. I knew from experience that the way to get Katie to speak is to tread carefully with her.

"So what exactly did he say to you?" I asked, after a suitably cautious introduction. Katie shrugged.

"We just got chatting, really. You know, normal stuff when you meet a guy in a bar." I nodded, to show I was listening. "He said his name was Freddie, and he told me he'd just moved to Vegas for his work. But he never said he was a magician - I would have remembered that."

"But you told him about the show?" I kept my tone neutral, not accusing.

"Well yeah. He said he was sure I must be a showgirl, since I was so pretty."

I did my best not to laugh. It sounded like this guy's chat up lines were pretty cheesy, although that never usually deterred Katie.

"So I said he was close. I kept him guessing for a bit, then I told him. He was really interested, and asked me loads of stuff."

"Like what?" I probed. Katie frowned in the effort of remembering.

"I dunno. Like, about how hard it must be to rehearse, and did I have to remember loads of secrets." Katie suddenly looked pleadingly at me. "Em, I know what that Campbell thinks, but I didn't tell him about you, I _swear. _I didn't tell him _anything_ about the show. She's banged on enough about that secrecy clause, I was hardly going to forget about it."

I nodded at her - I could see that Katie was sincere. It seemed obvious to me, even if it still didn't to Katie, that Freddie had singled her out in order to find out about the show. But he must have come up empty handed, because I believed Katie when she said that she didn't tell him anything.

"All that bitch cares about is her fucking magic show" grumbled Katie. I didn't say anything, because I hadn't quite made up my mind about that yet.

* * *

My conviction that our secrets were safe was no help at all in relieving any tension in the group. I did my best to persuade Naomi of Katie's innocence, but since her relationship with me was already strained since the night of our almost shag, I had little success. She now barely even looked at me unless she had to. It seemed ridiculous to me - if all that she wanted that night was a one night stand, then she can hardly still be dwelling on my refusal. If she wanted more than that, then she could have told me when I made my own feelings clear. I added it all to the long list of contradictory things about one Naomi Campbell.

As I walked towards the rehearsal room one day, I heard a raised male voice from within that wasn't Cook. Since every effort was taken to keep anyone but essential people out, my interest was piqued. I slipped quietly into the room and realised that it was Mr Tomone who had joined us. Naomi and Cook seemed to be in earnest entreaties with him.

"You can't pull the plug on us, we've signed a contract!" Cook insisted. Mr Tomone raised a hand to silence him.

"No-one is talking about pulling the plug, Mr Cook. I just want to know if you've thought about the impact another magic act will have on ticket sales?"

"We're gonna have a huge advertising campaign" Cook argued. "_We'll_ be the only magic show people want to see in this town."

Mr Tomone didn't seem quite so certain as Cook. I could hardly blame him - the images of McLair and Effy were inescapable in this town at the moment.

"But the McLair show opens a fortnight before yours! If it's already a big hit before you even open..."

"We can't open sooner" said Naomi firmly. "We're just not ready yet. But if we're smart, we can have a buzz happening about the show _before_ we open." She glanced around the room to make sure she had everyone's attention. "The papers love a bit of good old-fashioned rivalry. We'll start some off-stage antagonism between us and them - ride along on some of _their_ publicity. Make it all seem personal."

"Is it personal?" Asked Mr Tomone.

"Is it personal?" repeated Cook. "Let me see: he stole my girl, he stole my act, and he stole my best friend." He counted them off one by one on his fingers.

"Right, not personal at all then" muttered Naomi under her breath.

Mr Tomone nodded thoughtfully.

"It could work, but be careful what you say. If you get sued for libel, The Garda Resort will have nothing to do with it." Naomi shook her head firmly.

"That won't happen. They'll get just as much publicity from all of this as we will. It'll help both shows." Cook looked particularly unhappy at that part of the plan, but he didn't say anything. Naomi continued. "It _will_ work. Rivalry between magicians always catches the public interest: Harry Keller and Alexander Herrmann were rivals, it worked for Houdini and Howard Thurston in the early twentieth century. God, even Paul Daniels and Wayne Dobson had a big rivalry going in England in the eighties."

Mr Tomone seemed a little happier when he left a short time later. As soon as he was out of the room, Naomi let out a sigh and sank into a chair.

"I just hope it works" she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else. "We need to see that show" she told the room at large. "I've got us some tickets for the opening night. Cook: you, me and Emily can go."

She carefully avoided looking at me as she said my name. This was beginning to get very frustrating.

* * *

The night of 'Marvellous McLair's' grand premiere soon came around. Cook, Naomi and I went along as planned to see the show. We moved into the theatre looking for our seats, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. It felt like we were sneaking into the cinema without paying, knowing that the stars of the show probably wouldn't want us there. Cook led the way along the aisle. As he indicated the right seats, Naomi grabbed his arm.

"You sit there" she hissed at him, pointing at the middle of our allocated seats. Cook squeezed past her and sat in the indicated seat. I sat down next to him, feeling somewhat hurt that Naomi seemed unable even to sit next to me.

Those thoughts disappeared as the show began. I felt Cook tense beside me as the 'Marvellous McLair' strolled onto the stage. He was dressed in an old-fashioned style, with a top hat, a cane and a frock coat. He seemed well suited to being on stage, and addressed the audience with flair.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! I would like to welcome you to this most beautiful theatre." He gestured his arm in a sweeping arc of the room. "You are in for an evening... of wonders!"

From the other side of Cook, I could hear Naomi grumbling something about the show, but I couldn't make out what her criticisms were.

The show was very enjoyable. The first part moved at a fast pace through some surprising illusions. Freddie was assisted throughout by Effy, who was dressed more like a burlesque performer than anything else. She wore a succession of lacy basques, accessorised with long gloves, fishnet stockings and Dr Martens. Her eye make-up was smoky, and her hair had a distinct 'dragged through a hedge backwards' chic to it.

A little past the halfway point of the show, Freddie stepped out alone to the middle of the stage. The theatre fell silent to hear his address.

"Tonight, you are in for a very special event. My beautiful assistant is a most mysterious, and enchanting woman. I first met her in England, in an asylum for those with... challenged minds."

Cook snorted derisively. I already knew that Freddie met Effy when Cook introduced them to each other in New York. Freddie's story was nothing more than dressing for whatever was to come.

"Ladies and gentlemen: may I present to you... Effy!" He swept his arm towards the rear of the stage. His assistant strolled out in a long, Victorian style dress. It seemed ridiculously conservative, considering her earlier attire. Effy took a seat in the middle of the stage. Freddie produced a blindfold, and proceeded to cover Effy's eyes with it.

What followed was a lengthy demonstration of the 'Elusive Effy's' powers as a mind reader. She revealed personal information about a succession of audience volunteers, she correctly identified the owners of some borrowed items, and even correctly copied a drawing done by a volunteer, while still blindfolded.

Towards the end of the show, Freddie stepped to centre stage once more. He raised his hands to ask for silence.

"Ladies and gentlemen. For my final effect, I would like to show you all something truly... dangerous. I have been advised by my lawyers _not_ to perform this particular illusion, but..." He paused for dramatic effect. "... I never really listen to lawyers!" A ripple of laughter flitted across the theatre. Freddie waited for it to subside before continuing. "Many magicians have attempted this illusion, and many magicians have died in their attempts." Cook, Naomi and myself exchanged nervous glances. Surely he wasn't about to perform _our_ final illusion? Collectively, we held our breaths as Freddie announced: "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the mystery of... the bullet catch!"

"Shit!" Naomi's curse caused a few heads to turn in our direction. She checked herself before continuing in a whisper towards Cook and myself. "He's stolen our fucking trick!"

We each watched in a daze as Freddie began the lengthy process of setting up for his final illusion. We paid barely any attention as audience members were called on stage to verify that the gun and the bullets were genuine. It was only as the loaded weapon was taken up by Effy that Cook finally spoke.

"Is it wrong that I'm hoping this goes horribly wrong?" He asked in a whisper.

"No" said Naomi firmly, her tone making it clear she was hoping for that very outcome herself.

A resounding crack split the air as Effy discharged the weapon at Freddie. For one horrible moment, it seemed as if the trick may have gone wrong. Freddie reeled and staggered, as the audience gasped en masse. Then he straightened himself and grinned at the audience, before showing the bullet between his teeth. There was an infinitesimal pause, then the entire audience - apart from myself, Naomi and Cook - burst into rapturous applause.

* * *

"I can't fucking believe it!" Naomi had grumbled non stop about Freddie's final illusion since the show ended. At Cook's insistence, we had snuck our way into the after-show party, and were currently glugging free champagne, waiting for the man of the moment to work his way around the room to us.

"He never fucking changes!" Insisted Cook, his mood particularly black. "He's still stealing his act from me!" Over his shoulder, I caught sight of Freddie heading our way. I had no chance to let them know, before he was right in front of us.

"Coooooook!" Freddie spread his arms wide, as though expecting a warm reception from his former friend. "Great to see you, mate!" He wrapped his arms around Cook in a hug that was not returned. Undaunted, Freddie let him go and glanced at Naomi. "And this of course is the famous Naomi Campbell!" He offered his hand, but let it fall as he realised that Naomi had no intention of shaking it. She stared at him with her most withering look, but Freddie pretended not to notice. He turned to face me. "And this..."

"Yeah, babe. We've met" I answered coldly, in my best imitation of Katie's voice. Naomi stared at me in surprise. Little did she know that I had been Katie's understudy for the past twenty four years. I was more than capable of handling this situation. Freddie just grinned at me and stepped closer.

"Of course we have! I couldn't forget such a pretty girl as you, Katie!" He wrapped an arm around me. I tried not to grimace as his hand slid lower and skimmed in an all too familiar way across my arse. This guy was seriously beginning to make my skin crawl. My only small consolation was the flash of anger that I spotted in Naomi's eyes. Channelling my inner Katie, I grabbed Freddie's hand and yanked it away from my bum.

"Don't fucking _touch_ what you can't afford!" I told him imperiously. "You never told me you were a fucking magician!" Freddie chuckled.

"I just thought it would be nice to get to know you!"

I curled my lip into a sneer that I had regularly seen on Katie's face.

"And try to steal our ideas! How the fuck did you find out about the bullet catch anyway? I never told you!" I just prayed that my trust in Katie would be rewarded by that little gamble. If she hadn't told Freddie anything, then he may just confirm that for me in Naomi's hearing. Freddie grinned broadly. He seemed pleased that I had asked that question.

"It's amazing what you can find out with a little digging!" He turned and waved over another man, who ambled over to join us. "My magical advisor has been doing a little research for me. Cook, you remember JJ, right?"

Cook scowled at the new arrival.

"JJ man, I thought you were my mate!" JJ seemed startled to be addressed like that by Cook.

"Well, I just... we are friends Cook, but Freddie is now my employer, and so I felt obliged to carry out his instructions with a view to..."

"Fuck off!" Said Cook dismissively.

"Looking good, James."

I jumped slightly, as Effy spoke to Cook. I hadn't even seen her sauntering up to us. I glanced at Cook. His expression, not exactly sunny all evening, was now particularly dark.

"Eff." Was his only greeting, spoken through his clenched jaw.

"Well, as much fun as this little reunion has been, I think we'd better be going" said Naomi. I couldn't blame her for wanting us to leave. Cook looked on the brink of losing control, and a scene here would do us no good at all. Naomi gave a dazzling smile to Freddie and Effy. "_Loved_ the show, by the way. Very... _traditional_." She put as much emphasis as possible on the final word. Then she turned and walked from the room, followed by me and Cook. The second we were out of earshot, Naomi dropped her calm exterior. "Fucking couple of tossers! Why the fuck were you ever friends with them?"

"_That_ was all a fucking act" insisted Cook. "Freddie was never like that before."

A magician with a hidden side to him - now why doesn't that surprise me?

We all fell silent as we walked back to the hotel. Cook led the way, striding rapidly on ahead, making all conversation impossible. As we entered the casino of The Garda Resort, I expected him to head straight to the elevators. Instead he headed to a fairly quiet bar to one side of the casino floor. As he ground to a halt inside, I noticed that Naomi suddenly looked uncomfortable. Cook seemed to notice it too.

"We all need a drink after that. No arguments." Without waiting for an answer, he turned and headed to the bar. Naomi shrugged, and sat down at a table. I quietly sat down next to her and watched as she stared resolutely at her fingernails. Cook returned a moment later with two drinks. He set them down on the table but remained standing. Naomi finally looked up from her hands. She frowned as she saw there were only two drinks.

"I need to be by myself for a bit" said Cook softly. Naomi rose to her feet, ready to make her excuses, but Cook glared at her. "And you two need to start talking to each other." He stared at Naomi until she meekly sat back down again. "Put whatever happened - or didn't happen - behind you, so that we can all keep working together, okay?"

Naomi only grumbled a reply, but Cook accepted it as agreement. He nodded, then walked out of the bar without a backwards glance.

"I'm not sure he should be alone" said Naomi. Her voice was uncertain, and I knew that although she was concerned about Cook, her real reason was that she didn't want to be alone with me. I felt so bloody sick of her behaviour.

"He'll be fine" I snapped. I felt pretty convinced that if Cook really wanted to be alone, there was nothing anyone could do about it anyway. At my harsh tone, Naomi's eyes finally met mine. She looked guilty.

"I'm sorry" she said with a shrug. Her voice sounded small. It was only a tiny olive-branch that she was offering, but I decided to take it and let my anger at her go.

"Yeah, me too" I answered with a smile. Naomi sighed, and a little of the tension that she had been carrying in her shoulders seemed to slip away.

"I've been a complete tit."

I nodded, not feeling any need to contradict her. Naomi frowned, before relaxing into a smile. It was the first genuine smile that I had received from her in quite some time, and it made her look even more beautiful than ever. I smiled back at her.

"Emily, I really like you. I just..." She let her sentence trail away, and I held my breath wondering if she was about to be honest with me for once. The silence between us stretched on, before Naomi cleared her throat awkwardly. "We're going to need something new to end the show with" she said at last. I sighed to myself at the abrupt change of subject. I guess hoping for anything other than avoidance was always wishful thinking with Naomi.

* * *

**Okay, so I know their relationship is progressing at a snail's pace at the moment, but there will be a developement soon. I have a specific time-frame in mind though, so we have some stuff to do with the show to get through first.**

**I guess I've changed Freddie quite a bit, but since hardly anyone seems to even like him, I thought you'd let me get away with that.**

**For anyone thinking that Effy's outfit was a bit over the top, try doing a google image search of 'magician's assistants'.** **It really backs up my little rants about sexism in magic. For some reason, the search also brought up a still of Kitty and Nan from Tipping The Velvet in matching top hats and tuxedos, so it wasn't all bad.**


	13. When Our Friends Become Successful

**As you've probably already realised, each chapter title is a song title. Not sure why, just something that I felt like doing. I've tried to only pick songs from artists that I really like. Yeah, I know what I'm admitting to, but there's nothing wrong with _some_ cheesy eighties! **

**I could have called this chapter 'Happy Birthday' (I was SO chuffed to see the adorable Clare Grogan pop up as a skins mum in gen 3!) but I couldn't get over how well this little gem from Morrissey fit. What do they say about little things pleasing little minds? Oh well! I had to abreviate it on the title bar, but the full title is below.**

**Hope you enjoy! Myrtle**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful

Naomi

"'Marvellous McLair's magical masterpiece. The newest show on The Strip had audiences clamouring with amazement last night.'" Cook sighed and scrunched the newspaper he was reading aloud from into a ball. "What a pile of shite." He dropped the newspaper into the bin. "It's official: those thieving bastards are a hit." Much as I hated to admit it, Cook was right. I had called into the newsagents on my way to rehearsals this morning and scanned the papers for the reviews. All of them seemed to love Freddie's act. "And now, we've got a fucking fortnight to find a new ending to the show!" Cook kicked the bin in frustration. It skidded across the floor, spilling it's contents along the way. "How the fuck did JJ find out about it?"

"Before you say it, I didn't say anything!" Katie immediately went on the defensive. I sighed and rubbed at the bridge of my nose.

"Katie it's okay, we know" I told her. "I spoke to my friend in L.A. this morning. The one who was supposed to be making the trick for us. Lets just say that he's not someone I consider a friend anymore." Well, 'spoke to' was not entirely accurate. 'Yelled at him until I was blue in the face' would be a more precise assessment. He had eventually admitted to me that JJ had been on the phone to him several times over the past couple of months, trying to find out the details of my business with him. How JJ had discovered that we were magical associates remained a mystery, but it wasn't exactly a secret. In the end Freddie and JJ bribed the information from him, and decided that they wanted to buy the bullet-catch illusion for themselves, for double the price. Which explained why I had been constantly fobbed off with excuses about it, but it still left me up shit creek without a closing routine for the show.

I scanned the faces of our assembled group - everyone seemed pretty down. We looked defeated before our show had even opened, and that was something that I wasn't going to stand for.

"We'll figure something out" I insisted, hoping I sounded convincing. I actually _was_ sure that we would sort something out. There is nothing like a looming deadline to get the creative juices flowing.

"Like what?" Asked Katie, getting right to the heart of the matter as always. I clicked my tongue thoughtfully for a moment.

"I'm not sure" I admitted at last. "But we're bound to come up with something. There's only about eight effects to choose from."

"What? There's millions!" Declared Katie. I shook my head.

"No, there are millions of tricks, but there are only a few basic _effects. _Magicians argue over exactly how many there are, but basically there's: production, where you make something appear from nothing; vanish; transformation, which is changing one thing into another; levitation, when you make something or someone float; teleportation, which is making something move to another place; penetration, something solid passes through something else solid; restoration, which is when you destroy something then put it back together; or prediction." I counted each item off on my fingers as I went through the list. "Basically, each trick falls into one or more of those categories."

"Well, whatever effect we do, we'd better come up with it quickly" said Katie. I knew she was right. I decided to change the subject for now - I was trying to pick the mood up after all.

"Listen, forget about Freddie's show. Our advertising campaign is really going to pick up this week. Soon we'll be the latest show on The Strip." We were certainly all set to create our own buzz. We had done a few select interviews up to now, but we were ready to paper practically the whole of Vegas with our posters in the days to come.

"Oh, I had an idea" said Katie. "When me and Em first arrived here, we took a cab to the hotel. The driver wouldn't shut up for the whole journey. God, it was fucking annoying!" I tried not to roll my eyes at her as I wondered if this little trip down memory lane was actually going anywhere. "He just kept going on and on about this show that he'd seen - telling us how great it was. And I was thinking, why don't you get the taxi drivers in to see the show? Give them free tickets or something, then they'll do a load of publicity for you."

"Katie, that's... brilliant!" I told her. She smirked at me.

"Don't sound so fucking surprised, will you?"

I took a moment to think about her idea. Whichever way I looked at it, it made sense. Get the taxi drivers onside, and they will tell anyone who gets in a cab that ours is the show to see. Not to mention that our rivalry campaign would be best spread that way, too. When we give them the free tickets, we can be sure to tell anyone within earshot about how McLair stole our best trick. Rumours travel so much faster by taxi.

* * *

"Cook, do you remember when you nicked Katie's driving licence?" Cook nodded as he clambered out of his bear costume. The two of us had just finished our afternoon show. "You said her birthday was June second, right?"

"Dunno."

"Yeah, I'm sure it was." I remembered the date because a friend of mine back home had the same birthday. "That's two days away. We'll have to do something for it." Cook nodded.

"I'll have to nick Emily's licence so we can find out _her_ birthday as well."

"Take your time, Cook." I smirked at him while I waited for the penny to drop. Suddenly, he grinned sheepishly at me.

"Oh, yeah!" He chuckled at his own mistake. "So what did you have in mind?" I shrugged. I hadn't really thought it through enough to have a plan ready.

"I'm not sure. I just thought we should do something for them. Morale's been pretty low lately." Not to mention that I felt guilty for accusing Katie of spilling our secrets to Freddie. And yeah, I guess I also felt pretty shitty for the way I've been ignoring Emily lately. I can't help it, the effect that girl has on me just makes me nervous. But I had resolved not to ignore her anymore. It hadn't done me any good anyway - Emily was constantly in my thoughts, no matter what I did. My mind invariably lingered on how beautiful her laugh sounds, or how perfect her lips tasted, or how good it felt to have my arms around her, or... Fuck. You see what I mean?

"We should get a cake!" Said Cook, with an unwarranted amount of enthusiasm. His words pulled me reluctantly from my daydream.

"Sure, I'll get one" I told him with a nod. We wandered side by side out of the theatre. The last of our audience were still drifting out into the casino so we fell into step along with them. Instinctively, we both trained our ears on the conversations around us. It was something we often did - merging unseen with your audience is a great way to find out what they really think about the show. We both exchanged angry looks when every single word seemed to be about the Marvellous McLair's show, instead of ours. Who had seen it, who was going to see it, how great it was. It certainly seemed to have caused a sensation in this town.

We stopped dead in our tracks as we saw none other than Freddie McLair himself heading towards us. He was followed closely by JJ. Freddie was grinning, but JJ just looked uncomfortable. Freddie spread his arms wide as he sauntered nearer. His cocky gait made me want to slap the fucker to the ground.

"Cook! Naomi! Great to see you both!" Freddie gave us what I'm sure he thought was a smile full of boyish charm. It made me want to throw up. Preferably all over him.

"What the fuck do you want?" Snarled Cook. Freddie put his hands up in a defensive gesture.

"Is that any way to talk to a fellow professional?" His patronising tone pissed me off even more than I already was.

"There's nothing professional about the way you behaved!" I snapped. Freddie turned his grin towards me.

"And what about these rumours I keep hearing?" He asked calmly. "Spreading it around town that we've nicked your whole act!"

"Truth hurts, does it?" I asked with a grin. Freddie just chuckled.

"Do you think it bothers me? Our tickets are selling out faster than we can print them. Your little ploy won't get you anywhere. And besides, I could sue the whole fucking lot of you for libel, if I wanted to!"

I rolled my eyes at him and gave a bored sigh. JJ cleared his throat.

"Actually Freddie, I think you'll find that 'libel' refers to the printed word. Spoken words would be slander, although providing a satisfactory level of proof that they are responsible could prove problematic. There's only..."

"JJ!" Said Freddie harshly, before wrestling his temper back under control. "It's not going to work" he said smoothly. "Our show is the only one on The Strip worth watching. We're already a huge success with the critics."

Cook moved as if to grab Freddie, but I spotted his intention and managed to get in between them.

"Cook! Don't give him the satisfaction of being able to sue you for assault!" I hissed. My words had their desired effect, and Cook settled instead for clenching his fists by his sides. I turned back to glare at Freddie. "Just fuck off, will you?" I told him. Freddie looked to be considering saying more, but he also seemed to be genuinely afraid of Cook.

"See you around!" He said with a wink. Then he turned and strolled away with JJ in pursuit.

"Cook, please don't lose your rag over this!" I insisted. "He only came here 'cause we're getting to him. He doesn't like us spreading his underhand methods all over town. Why else would he come all the way down here just to speak to us about it?"

* * *

"Surprise!" As we led Emily and Katie through to the back-stage area, Cook, Panda and I did our best to impute our feeble efforts with some enthusiasm. We had made a rushed job at decorating the place with some bunting, and had laid out a table with a cake on it. The twins both seemed happy at our efforts, clearly not expecting anything to mark their birthday. I handed them each their wrapped gifts. I had gone shopping the day before, which was not my activity of choice, and picked out a new top for each of them that I hoped they would like. I held my breath as they tore the paper off. Katie held her item rather gingerly, a slight frown on her face. Her expression instantly brightened when she saw that I had included the receipt in the package. But the smile on Emily's face was very genuine. She surprised me by wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug. Without even thinking, I slid my arms around her back, before I checked myself and let her go.

"They're from us both" I said awkwardly, as she moved away. She grinned, and moved over to hug Cook as well.

"Thanks guys" said Katie. "We weren't expecting anything."

"Time for cake!" Announced Cook. I moved quickly to reach the cake before he did. I had seen Cook eating cake before - I didn't want him to just rip chunks out of it with his hands. The cake was Panda's contribution. I had been planning to buy a one, but Panda insisted that she could make a one for us. I had to admit that it looked lovely. I cut into it, and passed round slices on paper plates.

The next few minutes passed in silence, as we all filled our faces with cake. Emily was sat next to me. Katie, Panda and Cook were sat a little away from us.

"Thanks for this" said Emily quietly, after she finished her first slice.

"It was all of us."

She smiled softly at me, a knowing look in her eye. I shrugged.

"I felt bad for the way things have been between us all lately" I admitted. "Besides, you deserve it." Emily's smile widened, and I felt a sudden sense of panic. "You've _both_ been working so hard at the show" I added hastily. She nodded, but suddenly dropped her gaze to the floor.

"You never told me what you thought about Freddie's show" she asked after a moment of silence.

"What, you mean besides 'it was shit'?" I deadpanned. Emily laughed.

"It wasn't shit, you just hoped it would be!"

"No, it wasn't shit" I admitted reluctantly. "It was really good, if I'm honest. But there was nothing really _new_ about it. People are getting tired of magicians poncing around like that."

"Like what?" Asked Emily with a smile.

"Well, the top hat and tails for a start! Magicians started wearing that stuff at the start of the twentieth century - because that's what men wore back then, when they were going out for the evening. But it just _stuck_ - everyone does it, even though it's not relevant any more." I sighed softly. The fact that magic is not as popular with the public as it used to be was quite a sore point with me. And the fact that magicians are themselves entirely responsible for that, was another one. "And why do so many magicians have to act so smug?" I continued, really getting into my stride. "They act like they think they're smarter than their audience, just because they know something that the audience doesn't. Lay people are..."

"_Lay_ people?" Asked Katie with a frown. I hadn't even realised that Cook, Panda and Katie were no longer having their own conversation. "You're not a fucking doctor, Naomi!"

I chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. That's what magicians call non-magicians."

"So what will _our_ costumes be like?" Asked Emily, as if there hadn't been an interruption.

"This is Vegas" I answered with a sigh. "Much as I would love to go for something different, We can't do away with the sequins altogether - it's expected. And we're probably all going to have to flash some leg, as well."

Cook placed a hand to his chest in an affronted stance.

"I'm a person Naomi, not a piece of meat" he said haughtily, sending us all into a fit of giggles.

"But you've got such lovely legs Cook, it's a shame to hide them away!" I told him with a smile. After a pause, Emily started back on the same topic of conversation.

"How come you seem to dislike magic so much?" She asked with a frown.

"I don't!" I insisted. "There are loads of magicians that I really admire out there, but there seem to be a load more that would rather do the same as everyone else. Same jokes, same tricks... what's the point of that?" Emily nodded. I took that as my cue to continue. "But magic at it's _best_ can be amazing. Is there anything more wonderful than seeing something that you _know_ is impossible?" Katie gave an elaborate sigh.

"Okay, we get it! You fucking love magic, now can we please change the subject!" I lapsed into silence, feeling self-conscious about my little ramble. Katie turned to face Panda with a grin on her face. "I want to know what's going on between Panda and Mr Tomone!" She declared. Panda instantly flushed.

"Nothing!" She said, but there was a grin on her face that made a lie of her denial.

"Don't give me that!" Pushed Katie. "Whenever I see you you're heading up to his office, or just leaving it!" Panda shrugged.

"We're just spending time together!"

"And..?" Prompted Cook. Panda grinned again.

"Well quite a lot of time, really! Oh, he's well lush!"

Further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the man himself. Mr Tomone had taken a real interest in how we were going to fill the gap in our show left by the bullet-catch illusion. So much so, that he had insisted on watching one of our run-throughs of the whole show as it stood. We had readily agreed - we were always open to points of view from outside of our group. All eyes eagerly watched Panda and Mr Tomone to see how they reacted around each other. Mr Tomone grinned happily at Panda, who waved excitedly back at him.

"Are you ready to perform your show?" Asked Mr Tomone, turning his attention to the rest of the people present. The sound of scraping chairs filled the room as we all rose to head back through to the theatre.

The run through went very smoothly. We were all pretty confident with what we were doing by now, only really needing small adjustments for the most part. We headed into the penultimate illusion - although for the moment it was the final one. It was the one where I had to tie Emily to a frame. I furrowed my brow as I tied the first knot, pretending that it needed my full concentration. That way, I could avoid looking at Emily while standing so close to her. Then I reached across her to tie her other wrist. Her breath tickled the skin on the back of my neck, sending my heartbeat sky-rocketing. I bit my lip and tried desperately not to breath in her distinct scent. Her wrists fastened, I crouched down to tie the rope across her legs. Metal hoops stood out from the frame to hold the rope in place. I threaded it through with slightly shaking fingers. Jesus, this was hard enough while she's in jeans and a t-shirt! How the fuck am I going to concentrate on the show when she's wearing a skimpy showgirl outfit?

I finished the final knot, and gratefully snatched at the cover to hide Emily from view. I waited until I heard a tiny tap - Emily's signal that she was free and out of sight - before whipping the cover back again to reveal her disappearance. A moment later, Katie stepped out onto the other side of the stage, snapping me from my Emily-induced haze. I turned to face Mr Tomone and Panda.

"That's the whole show, apart from the ending" I told them. Myself and the twins stepped down from the stage and headed nearer to where they were sat. Cook re-emerged from the wings and ambled over with us. Mr Tomone was on his feet by the time we reached him.

"Excellent! Yes, that is a really superb show!" He clapped his hands together with enthusiasm. "It has a real 'je ne sais quoi' to it!"

"What's 'je ne sais quoi' mean, Tommo?" Asked Panda. I couldn't help but notice the familiar nickname she had for him.

"I don't know what" answered Mr Tomone. Panda shrugged dismissively.

"Why'd you say it for, then?" She got to her feet and turned to face our group. "That was real whizzer, I loved it!" She gushed. "But that last one was a bit..." she made a noise that I think was meant to indicate that she felt it was a bit flat.

"Well the audience won't know that it's two people" I reminded her.

"Yeah, I know that" she answered with a shrug. "But it was still a bit dull. It could be really amazing if you dress it up some more." I nodded thoughtfully as Panda continued. "If they think that it's just one person, then the fact that she can suddenly appear elsewhere is pretty amazing, isn't it? At least I think it will be to muggles, anyway."

"She's right you know" said Cook with a nod. "It could even be good enough to be the last illusion, with the right presentation."

"I agree" said Mr Tomone as he made his way to the aisle. "It's certainly something for you all to think about, but I'm afraid I have to leave now." He made his goodbyes to everyone, before turning to Panda. Our group hung back awkwardly, each of us trying to watch without watching as they said their farewells.

"So, I'll see you later" said Panda brightly. She cast a furtive look over her shoulder at the rest of us before continuing. "And we can, you know - foxtrot, uniform, charlie kilo." Mr Tomone flushed scarlet and made a hurried departure from the theatre. Cook, the twins and myself all exchanged furtive smiles at Panda's transparent code. We each did our best to compose ourselves as Panda turned back to face us. She clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Right, let's talk about that last trick. I've got some great ideas for costumes."

* * *

**Well, I know at least one person will be excited by that final sentence! More on that next chapter.**

**I'm afraid we magicians really do refer to non-magicians as 'lay people'. Though I do prefer the term 'muggles'!**


	14. Take A Bow

**Yes, it's showtime! **

**I hope the descriptions that I give about the show itself are okay. Designing a show fit for Las Vegas is not something I have any experience of. Mostly, the bits described stemmed from the idea of incorporating a couple of elements from gen 2. When it came to writing it, it turned out that I didn't really have a clear picture of the show in mind. To be perfectly honest, a huge illusion show is not really my thing. I prefer the sort of magic act that is driven by the personality of the magician, but for Vegas I think it has to be a big spectacle.**

**Bit of magic theory for you here - thought you might find it interesting to see how a magician considers things from an audience's point of view. I mention the 'too perfect' theory, but don't go into details because it is a hotly debated issue amongst magicians. The ideas about 'right' and 'wrong' questions though are very relevant.**

**I also briefly describe an actual trick here as well - the disembodied head illusion. It's method is already pretty well known anyway. In fact, if you ever go to Alnwick Castle in Northumberland (where they filmed the outdoor scenes for the first Harry Potter film) you can see a version of it and have a photo taken of your freshly removed head. **

**Hope you enjoy! Myrtle**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Take A Bow

Emily

All too quickly, we moved into our final few days of preparation before the show opened. The illusion where Katie apparently disappeared then reappeared elsewhere, was now fixed on as our closing effect – at least until a more permanent replacement could be found. We made it longer, until it was now much more of a performance piece, with some hastily added music and choreography. It was given a much stronger theme – with Cook playing a devil, intent on sabotaging the show. It was now him that tied me up, before locking Naomi into a cage that suddenly appeared in the middle of the stage. After some dramatic build-up, Cook whipped back the cover to show that I had vanished. Then Katie made her entrance. Instead of stepping out at the other side of the stage, she now appeared at the very back of the theatre, a spotlight announcing her arrival to the audience. With a theatrical gesture, Katie then directed the audiences' attention back to the action on stage. By the time everyone turned their heads, Cook was now the one trapped inside the cage, and Naomi was free to take her bow. Katie then made her way back to the stage to take her bow alongside Naomi.

The heaven and hell theme had sprung from Panda's costume ideas. She had really done a great job for us. Cook was to be decked out with horns and red body paint. I was to wear a white leotard with a sparkly trim, and long silver gloves. It was complemented with the biggest false eyelashes I had ever seen. When Katie made her appearance, she would be dressed identically, except that she would by then also sport a huge set of fluffy white wings.

We had also worked the same theme into a couple of the earlier illusions, with Cook turning up as the devil, attempting to ruin the show. It gave the whole production a more unified feel, and helped the final illusion to really make sense.

"No no no, that's too soon!" Naomi huffed in annoyance. We were rehearsing the newly altered closing routine onstage, and Katie was struggling to get the timing right.

"You show Emily's gone, then I step out, right?" She shouted from the other end of the auditorium. I stepped back onto the stage from the wings to see Naomi rolling her eyes. Katie made her way back to the stage.

"No" said Naomi firmly. "That's far too quick to reveal yourself. It goes against the 'too perfect' theory."

"The what?" Katie came to a stop just in front of the stage. She stood with her hands on her hips looking up at Naomi. Naomi sighed softly.

"The 'too perfect' theory. It's a magic theory that if a trick is _too_ perfect, then an audience has only one direction for their thinking to go – in other words, they can figure it out." Naomi hesitated as she took in Katie's frown. "Look, forget about the theory – it's a load of bollocks anyway. Think of it this way: if you appear at the back of the room only seconds after you apparently disappeared from the stage, the audience will know that there is no _possible_ way you could get there so fast."

"I thought that was the point!" Said Katie, flinging her arms out dramatically. Naomi frowned as she tried to figure out how to make her point clearly.

"Well, yes" she began slowly. "But not when it leads the audience down the right path."

"We've got to get the audience asking the wrong questions" added Cook, walking across the stage to join the rest of us. "If you show yourself straight away, then the audience will be asking themselves: 'how can she be in two places at once?' They're asking the right question, because the answer to it is: 'there's two of you'." Cook sat down on the edge of the stage and dangled his legs over the front. "But if you wait just a few beats longer before you show yourself, they'll be asking themselves: 'how the fuck did she get back there so quick?' Which is the wrong question to ask, because that's not what happened, so they won't be able to come up with an answer."

"Right" said Katie hesitantly. "So, I just wait a bit longer?" Cook and Naomi both nodded, happy that she seemed to have grasped it.

"I think we've rehearsed enough for today" said Cook, glancing at his watch. "Let's talk about more important things: the after-show party!" Katie grinned broadly, and even Naomi seemed to brighten at the mention of it. Only I remained indifferent to all talk of the after-show party, and no-one else seemed to have figured out why so far. They all began talking excitedly. Cook had insisted that it should be an extravagant, over-the-top affair, and was determined to foot the whole bill himself. He didn't even try to hide the fact that he wanted to outdo The Marvellous McLair. Naomi did her best to check some of Cook's wilder suggestions, but only half-heartedly. I suspected that she also liked the idea of outdoing anything Freddie could do.

"I've bought the most divine dress!" Declared Katie. "It's so elegant, and it's…" No one was listening. Everyone was intent on their own hopes and plans for the lavish party. They chatted on, unaware of my lack of interest.

"Oh, shit." I looked up to see Naomi staring at me, a stricken look on her face. "Emily! I'm sorry, I never even thought!" I did my best to give a casual shrug, secretly glad that someone had finally put two and two together. Katie and Cook both stared at me and Naomi, neither of them quite there yet. "You can't _both_ go to the party" said Naomi gently, bridging that gap for them. Everyone lapsed into a guilty, slightly dumbstruck silence.

"It doesn't matter" I said with another shrug. Sure, I would have loved to go to the party, but I had already resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't be able to.

"Well of course you can go" said Katie uncertainly. "I'll go for the first half, then you can change into my dress and…"

"No, Katie" I said firmly. I had already thought the idea through before now and dismissed it as unworkable. "We'd never carry that off. I wouldn't know who you'd talked to, or what you'd said to anyone." Katie fell silent again. She looked crestfallen. "It's only a party!" I insisted, as I saw a sea of gloomy faces staring back at me. God, why the hell was _I_ trying to reassure _them_ about it, when I was the one not going?

* * *

We all stood hidden from view, watching from backstage as the theatre slowly filled with people. Opening night had finally arrived, and I couldn't remember ever feeling this nervous in my life before. I felt like someone had been using my lower intestines to make balloon animals. I cast my eyes around the others. Cook was grinning broadly, bouncing about on the balls of his feet. He looked keen to get out on stage. Katie looked nervous but calm as she muttered her opening lines to herself. Naomi was staring intently at her hands, as she performed her coin roll over and over. She looked up and caught my eye. She gave me a reassuring smile.

"You okay, Em?" She asked. I nodded quickly, not quite sure that I could trust my vocal chords. "You look really nervous" she said with concern. "You're going to be fine, really. We've all rehearsed and you know what you're doing, you'll be brilliant!" She moved closer, and ran her hand soothingly along my arm. That, more than her words actually did have some effect. I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.

"Don't forget, the audience are more scared of you than you are of them" said Katie with authority.

"You're thinking of spiders" answered Naomi dryly.

"Nah, it's bears, isn't it?" Argued Cook.

"Why would bears be frightened of her?" Asked Katie with a frown.

"This isn't helping!" I snapped, getting tired of their squabbling.

"You do look a bit green" decided Cook, peering at me with concern. "I bet you've been pissing shit all afternoon, haven't you?"

I wrinkled my nose, repulsed by the mental image his words conjured up. Naomi realised that he still wasn't helping, so she sent him a death-glare. Cook sauntered off to his dressing room with a shrug.

"Bananas!" He declared as he re-emerged. He held a bunch of bananas aloft above his head. Then he began tearing them from the bunch and offering them round. "Seriously Emilio, they help. Potassium, or something." Naomi nodded her agreement at that, and took a banana. Soon, we were all chewing our bananas in silence.

"Do you think Freddie will turn up?" I asked eventually, breaking through the quiet. I was really just trying to distract myself from thinking about the show we would soon be performing.

"No chance!" Said Cook with a grin. "I paid a couple of mates to be bouncers on the door, watching out for him. If he shows up, they're gonna tell him his tickets are fake, and throw him out." Naomi smiled at him.

"Nice thinking, Cook. I'd rather he didn't see our show _just_ yet. Let him read about how spectacular it is in the reviews for a bit first."

Soon, it was time to begin the show, and we no longer had time for nerves. I watched from the wings as Katie and Cook stepped out first to warm up the crowd. Cook strolled casually amongst the audience, interacting with people, scoping them out. Once he had selected his victim – a well dressed, middle-aged man sat near the front - he got him to his feet. The man was given no chance to refuse as Cook dragged him onto the stage in front of the still-drawn curtains. Cook chatted amiably to the man whilst he moved him about the stage. All the while, he rifled the hapless volunteer's pockets, relieving him of his wallet and anything else that was there. The audience roared with laughter as each item was thrown across the stage and deftly caught by Katie, who placed it all in a large bucket.

I had seen the routine in rehearsal, but seeing it for real, I had to admire Cook's timing. He chose his moments to perfection, doing everything without the volunteer suspecting a thing. He was simply baffled to hear the audience laughing so much. Occasionally, Cook waved a stolen item at the audience, carefully hiding it from view of it's owner. Eventually, the man was let in on the joke, and allowed to return back to his seat with his bucket full of possessions. Cook handled it all with such charm, that even his victim was laughing along.

Time moved swiftly. The show seemed to pass so much quicker than any rehearsal we had done. Soon, it was time for my first involvement. For the first trick I was a part of, Katie appeared to have her head removed and placed in a box by Cook. The box was then placed on a table. When the box was opened, the head could be seen inside, then it came back to life. My role was to play the head. For that, I was crouched on stage underneath the table. It was a cramped space, with no room for movement. I was unseen by the audience, due to two angled mirrors between the legs of the table. From the front, it looked as if you could see right under the table, but in reality, it was only a reflection. Once the box was placed down, I simply had to poke my head up into it from below.

It was a strange, slightly surreal illusion. We had struggled to find the right presentation for it, until the new addition of Cook's devil character. Once that element was in place, it fit perfectly into the whole show. Naomi, normally strongly against any presentation that involved male violence towards women, found herself able to reconcile with it. Since the illusion ended with _her_ putting things back the way they should be, and the overall story arc of the show was that of two women triumphing over evil, we concluded that there was no underlying misogyny to the routine.

As soon as the segment was over, I felt so much better than I had before. I had been on stage, and not fucked anything up. Somehow I felt more confident that I could do so for every performance. I stood alone backstage, feeling my hands shaking as the waves of relief passed through me. All I had to do now was wait for the final illusion, and then it would all be over - at least for the first night.

The remainder of the show went as smoothly as any of us could have hoped. After the big finale, I listened from the wings as the audience roared and clapped their approval. Naomi, Cook and Katie all took their bows centre stage. I felt a small pang of anguish that I wasn't stood alongside them, but I pushed it away. This had been a team effort, and I was so elated that we had done it.

In a bustle of movement, the three of them came backstage.

"They love us!" Roared Cook.

"We were fantastic!" Bubbled Katie. Naomi grinned broadly as Cook wrapped her up in a tight hug. I had never seen her looking so happy.

"Yeah, they really seemed to like it!" she said excitedly. Katie threw her arms around me.

"We're a smash hit, Em!"

"Curtain call, ladies" announced Cook, gesturing towards the stage. Katie bounded over to him and linked her arm through his. As they walked back onto the stage, I saw Naomi hesitate.

"That's your applause as well you know" she told me with a grin. I matched it with one of my own.

"I know, but I can't go out there. Go!" I made a shooing motion, until Naomi joined the others back on stage.

Eventually, there had been enough curtain calls, and the audience was leaving. The four of us stood backstage, grinning ridiculously at each other.

"We really did it!" Said Cook. "Come here!" He pulled me into a hug. Once he let me go, he wrapped his arms around Katie.

"You were great" said a soft voice near my ear. I jumped as I hadn't realised that Naomi was stood so close to me. I turned to face her, and saw that she was biting her lip nervously.

"You did it" I told her. "You're a headline act!" She grinned at my words and moved closer. As she wrapped her arms around my shoulders, I slid mine around her waist. I allowed myself to get lost in the moment, if only for a few seconds. Naomi had her arms around me, and it felt wonderful.

* * *

"It'll probably be shit you know." Katie did her best to assure me as she applied fresh make-up in our dressing room. She was getting ready for the after-show party, and her guilt at my absence was starting to make itself felt.

"No it won't!" I told her with a grin. "Don't worry about me, just go and have some fun, okay?" Not the sort of advice that Katie usually needed, but I could see that she genuinely felt bad about the situation.

"You could still go instead" she told me softly, although the look on her face showed that she really didn't want that to happen. For a brief second, my mischievous side contemplated saying 'yeah, okay. How quick can you get that dress off?' – just to see her expression. Instead, I just told her again to go and enjoy the party. Katie hugged me, before picking up her handbag. She opened the door, then turned back to face me.

"We were great tonight" she said with a smile.

"_You_ were great" I answered. "I didn't have much to do." Katie shook her head.

"_We _were great" she said firmly. "Look, I know you didn't really want to be part of the show Em, but I appreciate it, yeah?"

"It wasn't so bad" I told her with a grin as I hugged her once more. It was true – now that it was all over for the night, I felt ecstatic at the memory of being on stage.

"I'll pop in and see you in a bit, yeah?" Said Katie as she let me go. I nodded, although I honestly expected her to forget in the excitement of the party.

"You really do look amazing in that dress" I told her, before pushing her out of the room. I closed the door behind her and leaned back against it. After all of the recent bustle, everything suddenly seemed so silent. I knew that it would be unwise for me to try getting to my room while there were so many people hanging about the theatre, so I had resolved to spend the evening in mine and Katie's dressing room.

I poured myself a glass of wine, congratulating myself for my foresight in leaving a bottle here, and sank onto the small sofa. I picked up my book and flicked to the right page. I sat staring at my book for a while, but in reality, I wasn't reading from it. My head was too full of everything that had happened today to make concentration possible. I let my mind dwell back over the show. I could hardly believe that we had actually done it. That _I_ had done it. Quiet little Emily Fitch had been on stage in front of hundreds of people. True, I had been posing as my sister, but that didn't alter my mood one bit. I was proud of myself that I had actually done it.

I desperately wished that I could be a part of the celebrations. I knew that it would be tough listening to the rest of them going on about it in the morning. But there was nothing any of us could do, so I resigned myself to a quiet night alone with my book.

* * *

**Ah, poor Cinderemily. But you don't really think she'll be spending the whole evening alone, right? Of course not. She will have two talking mice to keep her company. Oh wait, that was disney...**


	15. There Must Be An Angel

**Thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm seriously amazed that this story has picked up so much interest. Your reviews really do keep me writing. I just kept on going after chapter 14, and had this written the following day. I've even started on the next one, but I'm not sure when I'll get the rest of it written. I really should do some work on my magic, instead of just writing about it.**

**As ever, I hope you enjoy. I have a feeling that you will... **

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)

Naomi

I was _buzzing_.

Trust me: there is no better feeling in the world than the one you get after performing a show that you know people have loved. Okay, maybe one other feeling, but… it had been a while.

I was stoked that the show had gone so well. The vibe from the audience as we took our final bows indicated that it had been a huge success. For an opening night, things had gone very smoothly. One or two problems to be worked through in rehearsals, but nothing to cause any concern.

It was as triumphant heroes that Katie, Cook and I walked in to our own after-show party. Everyone was clamouring to greet us and to tell us how much they enjoyed the show. The room was full to bursting with executives, people from the media, celebrities. I exchanged a contented grin with the others, before we each moved into the room in different directions. Cook had done us proud. There were almost as many waiters as guests, dashing about supplying everyone with fine champagne. Trays of very posh looking canapés made the rounds as well, showing that Cook had hired caterers. If it were left to him, it would be pork pies and sausage rolls all round.

First to greet me was Mr Tomone. He walked towards me with a very excitable looking Panda on his arm.

"The show was a triumph!" He told me as he shook my hand. "I can't wait to read the reviews tomorrow!"

"God, Naomi it was fantastic!" Burbled Panda while throwing her arms around me. "You were all really brilliant! I loved Cookie as the devil, he was really wicked. _All_ of you were wonderful!" Her emphasis on the word 'all' reminded me that our whole group wasn't present. I felt a pang of guilt as I remembered that Emily had to spend the evening alone in her dressing room while the rest of us partied.

After a brief chat, I excused myself from Panda and Mr Tomone and continued working my way around the room. There were so many people that I had to speak with. Before I got too much further though, a beaming Cook caught my arm.

"I just spoke to my mate on the door" he told me. From the look on his face, I could tell that Freddie must have tried and failed to get in to the show. "The Marvellous McLair got thrown out on his arse! He tried to blag his way in but they threw him out. Wasn't too happy about it, from what they've said!"

"So he's now the miffed McLair then" I answered with a giggle.

* * *

After the initial novelty of the party began to wear off, I found my thoughts returning to Emily. I felt so bad that she was unable to be a part of the celebrations, when she was so much a part of our team. I quickly scanned the room, to see if there was anyone else that I should speak to. Certain that I had already spoken to everyone that I needed to, I grabbed a couple of champagne flutes from a passing waiter. I hesitated, before grabbing the bottle as well. What the hell, why not? I headed off in the direction of the dressing rooms.

The place was deserted. That wasn't unusual though, as we made a habit of keeping the whole backstage area in lockdown at any time. Even the theatre staff and many of the backstage crew were not allowed to go wandering around. You just couldn't be too careful with your secrets. Only absolutely essential personnel knew about Emily, and they had all signed secrecy agreements. Even the crew that didn't know about her had signed similar agreements, just in case. Our caution didn't arouse any particular interest, as magicians were always wary of their effects being stolen. It was generally just assumed that we were hiding our apparatus away, rather than a person.

I reached the right door, and somehow managed to knock without dropping the bottle or the glasses. Only silence greeted me. Perhaps Emily had managed to sneak off to her hotel room? Then it dawned on me: she was probably being cautious in case I was a nosy reporter, or stage-hand.

"Emily, it's me" I called. The door swung open to reveal a grinning Emily. Her smile widened when she saw what I was holding. I stepped into the room and she closed the door behind me.

"You didn't have to leave your own party for me" she told me. I shrugged.

"It was pretty boring, really." I watched as Emily's smile faltered. Shit, that made it sound like I only came here because of boredom. "I wanted to see you" I added hastily. Her smile returned. It was the one that makes her eyes shine, and I love seeing it. I handed a glass to Emily. She already had some wine, but she gratefully accepted the champagne. We sank down onto the sofa, and clinked glasses. "To our successful show!"

"So what was the party really like?" Asked Emily, eyeing me over the top of her champagne flute. I settled myself back into the sofa. It was pretty small, and any movement made our legs brush against each others. I looked away to hide my discomposure. My eyes fell on the angel costumes hanging on the back of the door. I let myself remember how beautiful Emily had looked in that outfit tonight. I wondered how good she would look in the other one - the one that came complete with feather wings. "Hello, Naomi?" Emily's voice and a hand waving in front of my face snapped me from my little daydream. Shit, I really drifted off there for a second! I turned my gaze back to Emily, and remembered that she had asked me a question about the party.

"It was great" I had to admit. "Everyone was all over us – they're absolutely crazy about the show. I've spoken to so many reviewers tonight, and they all said they loved it."

"You should have stayed there" she told me, but she seemed happy to have my company.

"There's only so much of that kind of party I can take!" I laughed. "It's a mix and mingle thing, more like work than a party. The real die-hards will probably go on to a club afterwards, and that's when they'll really let their hair down."

Emily grinned back at me, and we slipped into an easy conversation about the show and about the party.

* * *

"Oh, and did I tell you about the ice-sculptures?" I asked. I had been filling Emily in on Cook's elaborate decorations for the party.

"_Ice_ sculptures?"

"Yeah, Cook had them specially commissioned without even telling me! Everywhere I turned, there was mine or Katie's melting image beaming back at me!"

"I bet Katie loved that!" said Emily with a laugh. I nodded.

"Yeah, she thought it was great! Except she said that the sculptor made her too fat. I told her it would be accurate after a couple of hours!" Emily doubled up with laughter, and placed a hand casually on my arm to steady herself. I bit my lip as the contact sent a shiver of delight through my spine. I really must be pretty tipsy by now! Emily also seemed quite tipsy, but she topped both of our glasses up. We lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few moments.

"I wish my mum and dad could have seen the show" I said at length. I had no intention for the conversation to turn maudlin, but my parents had been in my thoughts throughout the day, and Emily was easy to talk to.

"They would be proud of you" she said gently. I nodded.

"I hope so." I took a gulp of my drink, to disguise any sign of strong emotion.

"What were they like?"

"A couple of hippies, basically." I smiled to myself as I remembered them. "Always going on marches, always trying to save the planet."

"Do you have any family left?"

"Just an uncle" I said with a frown. "Dad's brother, but he was the complete opposite of dad – really career driven. I was sixteen when mum and dad died, so him and his wife became my legal guardians until I was eighteen. They had their own family, and I hardly even knew them, so they just left me to my own devices, really. Made sure I was okay for money, but that was about it." I sighed as I wondered how different things could have been if I had received more guidance back then. I had no wish to dwell on it though, so I moved the conversation on. "What about your parents?" I asked. "Will they come out here to see the show?" Emily's mood seemed to darken at their mention.

"Doubt it." She shrugged dismissively. "Mum's probably far too busy with her own business. She owns a wedding planning company: 'Let's Get Fitched'."

I snorted derisively at the name, before remembering that it was Emily's mother that I was laughing at. I glanced nervously at her, but she was just laughing at my reaction.

"Yeah, I thought it was lame, but everyone else loved it!" She sighed as our giggling faded away. "It's all she ever talks about – the perfect wedding."

"And the perfect husband to match?" I asked, sensing that this was a big issue between Emily and her mother. Emily chuckled.

"Oh, yes. That's all a girl is supposed to dream about: finding a husband and having the perfect wedding."

I could easily imagine that Emily had always had to listen to how desirable a conventional family was. Her childhood stories were probably all of the 'and she lived happily ever after with her handsome prince' variety. I was thankful that my own upbringing had been more offbeat. My bedtime stories invariably held a conservation message, or a diatribe against narrow-minded thinking.

"Well, you should invite them" I said with certainty. Emily clearly had a lot of issues with her parents, and I felt that she probably needed to start sorting them out.

"Yeah, maybe" she said, in a tone that meant she had no intention of doing so.

We chatted on, happily drinking our champagne. I darted briefly back into the party to grab a tray of canapés when Emily complained about feeling hungry, but otherwise we stayed together. It felt great that we were talking openly with each other like we used to.

I poured the rest of the champagne out and grumbled about going for another bottle.

"Forget the champagne" said Emily, her voice barely above a whisper. I glanced down and noticed that my fingers were laced casually through hers. I couldn't remember how long we had been sat like that, but it felt nice. As my gaze moved back up to Emily's face, I realised that she was staring intently at me. The look in her eyes made me nervous and excited at the same time.

"Oh fuck it" she breathed as she closed the gap between us. Her lips tasted just as I remembered them. I slid a hand up to tangle in her hair, and opened my mouth to receive Emily's tongue. We kissed passionately, making ourselves breathless. Before I could really process what was happening, Emily was straddling me, pushing my body back into the sofa. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer. She left off from my lips to press hot kisses down my neck.

"What are we doing?" I asked. It was probably pretty obvious, but I felt that some clarification was needed. Emily pulled back from me and gave me the sexiest smile that I've ever seen. Her eyes were dark with desire.

"It's okay" she whispered as her hands began to loosen the buttons of my blouse. The action sent me from tipsy to sober in double-quick time. "I'm not asking you for anything, I just… I just want…" Her lips attacked my neck again with even more passion than before. This was too much. This was far too fast, and way too intimate.

"Emily stop" I groaned reluctantly. It may be too fast, but it still felt fucking fantastic. I placed my hands on her shoulders and held her back from me. I realised that this was almost the mirror image of the last time we were like this with each other. Emily frowned at me.

"You don't have to make any commitment, I just want you." I could certainly see the lust in her eyes, but it just seemed wrong that she suddenly didn't want anything more from me. Not to mention that things were rapidly getting beyond my own comfort zone.

"I don't want to" I gasped out. I knew straight away that I had said the wrong thing. Emily's expression hardened, and she clambered off me. I sat stupefied on the sofa at the abrupt change in atmosphere. Emily paced the floor of her dressing room.

"Right, so you'll fuck half of Vegas, but you don't want me." There was a harshness to her voice that I hated being responsible for.

"No!" I said desperately, but Emily took it as confirmation of her statement.

"You should just go" she insisted, gesturing at the door. She sounded so defeated. Again I was reminded of the last time we did this. That time, Emily had left at my insistence, and I strongly suspected that neither of us had felt any better for it. Fuck, just tell her the fucking truth, you coward!

"No, Emily please." I rose from the sofa and tried to move nearer, but she stepped away from me. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at me. She was putting on a tough exterior, but I could see how hurt she really was – her eyes always gave her away. I didn't want to be to blame for it, but I knew that I was. Again. I couldn't bear it. "I didn't fuck them!" I blurted out. The revelation surprised even me. Emily stared at me, her eyes full of confusion and suspicion.

"Didn't fuck who?" She asked. I sighed and sank back onto the sofa. I let my shoulders slump.

"Anyone" I answered in a small voice. "Those people that you see me with – I only ever snog them, then I go home alone." I felt like I was laying myself bare. I braced myself for the inevitable question of 'why'. It was one of many questions that I didn't have an answer for. Emily's mood visibly softened. She sat back on the sofa, keeping as much space between us as possible.

"We all thought you were fucking them" she said softly. I nodded.

"Yeah, I know. But I haven't had sex with anyone in ages. The other week with you was the closest I've come to it since…" Well, perhaps she doesn't need to know that the end of that particular sentence is 'since I nearly shagged Cook three years ago'. "…since quite a while, anyway" I said instead. I stared down at my hands rather than look at Emily. "I don't really _want_ that with anyone right now. The last time with you, I… I honestly don't know what came over me, but it was moving too fast for me too." Emily reached across and gave my fidgeting hands a gentle squeeze.

"Why didn't you just tell me that?" She asked. Because what I feel for you absolutely terrifies me, said a voice inside my head. I didn't want to share _that_ truth, but I shared another one.

"Because I didn't want anything else with you."

"Didn't?" Emily picked up straight away on my use of past tense. I couldn't help myself. I raised my gaze up to meet her eyes and saw the hope and expectation in them. How can this one woman make me feel so much? I sat there dumbstruck, as she moved slowly closer. She hesitated just before she reached me, as though giving me a chance to back away. I was still scared, but no power on earth could have moved me from that sofa right at that instant. Her lips pressed against mine, gently this time. The urgency of her earlier kisses was gone, replaced by a soft yearning. It felt amazing, but just as I was wishing for it to go on for ever, Emily pulled back from me. She smiled, and I could she that she was just checking that I was okay with it. By answer, I leaned closer and instigated another kiss.

"So…" said Emily slowly, as we moved apart again. We smiled awkwardly at each other, both sensing that the dynamic of our relationship was on the point of changing. Since I had been the one messing Emily about, I felt that I should begin.

"I _really_ like you" I admitted sincerely. "And I haven't felt like this about anyone in a long time." Emily's smile grew in confidence at my words.

"I _really_ like you too" she answered, mimicking my tone. "And I think we should just take things slowly, and see where that gets us." I nodded my agreement. We were both tip-toeing around this, but it was an unspoken promise that we were now something more. That settled, the atmosphere between us felt infinitely more relaxed.

"So how long has it been since you...?" asked Emily playfully. I cleared my throat uncomfortably as I felt myself blush. Emily nudged my shoulder with hers. "Come on, it's been about a year for me, it can't be any longer than that." My skin felt even hotter at that. I looked away, but I could still feel Emily's eyes staring intently at me.

"Try tripling that" I muttered.

"Three years!" Emily started, then tried to not sound quite so surprised. "No, that's fine, that's…" I suddenly giggled at Emily's attempts to reassure me. She joined in, before asking "Who was it?" I shrugged.

"Just some girl in New York. When I moved to America, I did sleep around at first, but it just left me feeling empty." I felt uncomfortable talking about this with Emily, so I tried to move the subject on. "I haven't even snogged anyone since that night with you." Emily grinned at that.

"Why not?" She asked.

"'Cause I knew it wouldn't be as nice with anyone else" I said with a teasing smile. Emily slapped my arm playfully, but then moved closer. I gladly met her lips with mine, and we settled back on the sofa for a little make-out session.

* * *

Later, after checking that the coast was clear, we headed up to our respective rooms. We parted with a lingering goodnight kiss in the corridor. As I closed the door to my room behind me, I thought back over everything that had happened tonight. I felt like I was walking on air. Not an uncommon feeling after such a well received performance, but I knew that the show only accounted for part of my good mood. Emily and I had reached a new level in our relationship, and the thought of that put a genuine smile on my face. Sure, the thought of actually getting involved with someone still filled me with panic, but we had agreed to take things slowly. Emily was aware of my reluctance, and had promised not to expect too much from me. We hadn't even said that we were dating – we hadn't said _what_ we were, really. We hadn't specified exclusivity either, although I felt sure that it wouldn't be an issue. I had no interest in anyone else. I may have been teasing Emily when I said that I didn't want to kiss anyone else after kissing her, but there was an awful lot of truth in that statement.

Oh, shit. I've got it bad, haven't I?

* * *

**Yeah, I woud say so. **

**Let me know what you think!**


	16. She's A Star

**I apologise for the delay in getting this to you. I'm trying so hard to get more balance in my life, but it really isn't easy. I'm starting to come to the conclusion that although medication is a big help, it's not the full solution on it's own. I'm trying to bring a more organised strategy into my life, but anything like that is hard to put into practice. I've tried every organisational tool you can think of before, with no success. I'm hoping that it will be different now that I'm on medication. And organising my time will include allocating time for writing - so I still intend to keep going with this story! **

**On with the story...**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: She's A Star

Emily

I felt a mixture of emotions as I walked into our rehearsal room the morning after our opening night. I felt so happy about how well the show had gone, and was looking forward to talking to everyone about it. I couldn't wait to hear all about the after-show party as well. But mostly, I was looking forward to seeing Naomi. We had spent the most amazing evening together, and I could hardly believe where it had led us.

In truth, I actually _didn't_ quite believe it, and therein lay the not so good emotions. How on earth would Naomi react, the day after? Would she tell me it was a mistake? Or act like nothing even happened? God, I really hoped not, but she could be very unpredictable at times. We had both been drinking. Neither of us had been very drunk but it could still be used as an excuse for what happened. I had acted a little out of character myself, due to alcohol. Without it, I would probably never have made a move on Naomi like that. But she's been driving me crazy, so I had finally decided that if a fuck was all I was going to get, then that would have to do. I was surprised to say the least at what my actions led to. Naomi actually let me in a little way, admitting that she isn't the promiscuous person I thought she was. I just knew that she was telling me the truth. It felt like I had finally chipped away a piece of her armour. I just prayed that she didn't regret her actions this morning.

So it was with some trepidation that I walked into the rehearsal room, and it was a mixture of relief and disappointment I felt, knowing that I was the last to arrive.

"Emilio!" Cook jogged over to give me a big hug, displaying no signs of what was bound to have been a late night. I shot him a grin, but my eyes darted around the room, hunting out the one person that I most wanted to see. Naomi was leaning back against a table at the other side of the room. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of her – she really is a gorgeous woman. I longed to see into those beautiful blue eyes to try and figure out what she was thinking, but she kept them trained steadfastly on the floor. My heartbeat quickened at the sight of that. Was she deliberately avoiding my gaze? "You missed an amazing night!" Said Cook, drawing my reluctant attention back to him. He forgot the unspoken rule that you're supposed to downplay an event when someone wasn't able to go.

"Don't worry about me, I had a great night of my own" I told him. I watched Naomi carefully from the corner of my eye, and felt sure I saw the flicker of a smile at my words.

"We went to this brilliant club" said Katie, as if I hadn't even spoken. She had clearly forgotten that she hadn't kept her promise to pop back and see me during the after show party. Not that I was about to complain about it – I was very glad that Naomi and I hadn't been interrupted! Katie continued to tell the room about her night out. "Everyone recognised us! We didn't have to buy a single drink all night! There were loads of gorgeous guys, and I even pulled one of _your_ lot." She pointed at Naomi, which made her raise her eyes to Katie. She frowned at her.

"My lot?" Katie nodded emphatically.

"Yeah, a lezzer." I bit my lip. The subtle distinction that Naomi wasn't actually a lesbian would probably always be lost on my sister. Katie ignored Naomi's death-glare, and continued her tale.

"This lass was all: 'oh Katie, you never told me you were a headliner!' God, she was all over me!"

"You should've went for it, Katie!" Insisted Cook, laughing. Katie carried on, ignoring the interruption.

"I think she was a bit mental though, 'cause she kept asking me why I never texted her! I told her: 'look Chloe, whatever your fucking name is, my bread's not buttered that way, alright? So get your boobs outta my face, 'cause I wouldn't know what to do with them.'"

At the mention of Chloe, Naomi and I exchanged a panic-stricken look. It seemed that Katie had bumped into the one person in Vegas outside of this room that knows I'm gay. Well, except that she thinks its Katie who's gay. Well, I'm the one she thinks is gay, which I am, but she thinks I'm Katie. Wait, no, she thinks… Hang on, I'm getting confused.

Fortunately, mine and Naomi's sudden alarm didn't register with Katie, who by now was talking about the people in the club that she _was_ interested in. She apparently had no idea why Chloe thought that she knew her, so I breathed a little easier. Naomi went back to looking anywhere but at me.

Eventually, Katie and Cook exhausted their anecdotes about the party. It escaped both of their notice that Naomi and I were sat there in almost total silence while they chatted on over the top of each others voices. When they seemed to have no more to say, Naomi spoke.

"Should we have a look at the reviews, then?" She asked impatiently. Her words immediately gave her the attention of the whole room. We had all agreed beforehand that we wouldn't look at any reviews until we were all together.

"Right, where's the papers then?" Asked Cook. Naomi frowned.

"Shit, I forgot! I thought you were getting them." It seemed uncharacteristic of Naomi to forget something like that, given how anxious she was about the reviews. Cook just chuckled.

"Cookie Monster to the rescue once more! I'll go get them. I'll get us some coffees too." He strolled towards the door, jangling the change in his pockets.

"Katie, maybe you could give him a hand please?" Added Naomi. It seemed like an afterthought, but I noticed how carefully she tried to make it sound nonchalant. Clearly I was about to get a moment alone with her, and my fate would be sealed one way or the other. I held my breath as Katie and Cook left the room. As the door swung shut behind them, Naomi giggled.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't very subtle." She stepped closer and slid her hands around my waist. I gave out a silent sigh of relief, and let myself relax into her arms. I placed my arms around her neck and breathed in her unique scent, revelling in the sensation of being so close to her. "I couldn't stand not touching you" said Naomi, her eyes raking over every inch of my face. A broad grin spread across my lips at her words. "I couldn't even look at you, in case my face gave it all away." I felt a little guilty at my earlier suspicions, but I was so happy to discover that they were needless.

"Don't worry" I answered. "I don't think Katie will guess that anything's going on. She would have to consider the possibility that I'm gay, to do that." Naomi bit her lip and looked set to say more about that. Instead, she must have concluded that we had better things to do with our lips in the small time-frame available. She leaned closer and kissed me softly. It felt perfect, except for the fact that neither one of us could fully relax. I had my ears trained on the door ready for any sign of Cook and Katie's return, and I felt sure that Naomi was doing the same.

Soon they did return, and Naomi and I sprang apart before they walked in. It occurred to me that we were playing a dangerous game, but I didn't really have the power to resist. I knew that I would gladly take any chance I could get to wrap my arms around Naomi. Katie handed round coffees and pastries, oblivious to what she had interrupted. We all settled down in our seats ready to go through the morning papers.

The next few minutes were spent very enjoyably. The reviews could hardly have been more favourable. Each one raved about our show, encouraging the readers to buy tickets as soon as possible. We read particularly quotable sections aloud again and again to each other, and Cook delighted in anything that suggested we were better than Freddie's show. Naomi tutted at how many bad puns there were about her name – most of them declaring the show to be a 'model' of entertainment or some such reference to the supermodel. And Katie delightedly poured over any mention of herself. It was official: the show was a hit, and the final routine in particular had blown everyone away.

"Well, that's one in the eye to Freddie!" Laughed Cook, once we had picked over every review. "He tried to sneak in last night, but my mates were waiting for him" he told me.

"Well, you can bet that he'll try again every time he has a dark night" said Naomi. "And he'll send his spies along as well. We can't keep him out forever." Cook waved his hand dismissively.

"He won't figure anything out, no matter how many times he sees it! He nicked everything he knows from other people!"

"What about JJ?" Asked Naomi. Cook frowned.

"Yeah, he knows a lot about magic. What was it Freddie called him? His magical advisor? Still, I've got faith in our show – they won't figure it out."

Naomi nodded slowly, still a little concerned about the threat that they posed to our secrets. Then with a casual shrug, she changed the subject.

"I think we deserve a day off" she announced, to general noises of agreement. "There's some stuff in the show that I want to tighten up a bit, but nothing urgent. We've all been working so hard lately." The sound of scraping chairs filled the room, but Naomi wasn't finished. "Er, except for the last trick." She flashed me a nervous smile as she spoke. "Emily, I thought you should be a bit quicker getting out of the ropes, so I wondered if you wouldn't mind going through it with me?" I nodded, trying my best to look unaffected at the thought of spending the whole afternoon alone with Naomi. On hearing that it didn't involve them, Cook and Katie were already heading for the door. "Be back in plenty of time for tonight's show" called Naomi to the back of their heads. As the door closed behind them, she turned to face me. "I'm sorry" she said with a shrug. "You're timing was fine, it was the only thing I could think of to be alone with you." Her words set a wonderful little flutter happening in my stomach. The thought that she wants us to be alone together as much as I do had me almost dizzy with delight. I cast a final glance at the door to make sure that we were completely alone, then closed the distance between us. I wrapped my arms around Naomi, loving the fact that I could do that now.

My phone ringing interrupted the moment.

"It's probably Katie" I said as I scrabbled to reach it. Katie had left the room so quickly that she must have forgotten something. I pulled out my phone and stared at the display. It told me that it was Chloe on the phone. Nervously, I answered it.

"Hey Chloe." I tried to sound breezy, but I doubt if I carried it off. I was too busy watching Naomi's frown as I said Chloe's name.

"Katie, what the fuck was that about, last night?" Asked Chloe.

"I er, I'm not out yet, so I had to pretend I didn't know you in public." I felt pleased with myself that it actually sounded plausible.

"But did you have to snog that smarmy magician right in front of me to prove it?"

I shuddered at the idea of Katie getting off with Cook. I thought of him as more like a brother than anything else.

"Look, I'm sorry I er…" Hang on, why am I apologising to her? It's not as if we were dating! Chloe's tone suddenly changed to a more friendly one.

"Well anyway, since I'm in town for a couple of days, why don't we meet up?"

"I can't, I've got…" I hesitated before saying the words 'a girlfriend'. Do I _have_ a girlfriend, I found myself wondering? That seemed to be overstating things somewhat. "I've started seeing someone" I said instead. Nice and neutral. That surely wouldn't cause Naomi to break out in a cold sweat.

"Oh, okay." Chloe did sound genuinely disappointed, although I wondered how much that was to do with the discovery that I'm in a headline Vegas show. We had hardly kept in contact much since our first couple of dates.

"Listen, I've got to go" I told her, anxious to get her off the phone and get back to whatever I had been about to do with Naomi. I hung up, and hastily stuffed my phone back into my bag. When I turned back to face Naomi, she looked deep in thought.

"I'd forgotten about Chloe until Katie mentioned her" she said with an anxious smile.

"We were never anything serious" I reminded her. I slid my arms around Naomi's waist, keen to reassure her. "She lives in L.A., so hopefully she won't bump into Katie again." Naomi nodded, but still looked uncertain. "I'm not interested in _her"_ I insisted, giving Naomi's hips a gentle squeeze. She smiled, and seemed to relax a little. I moved closer and met her lips with mine. After kissing her lips, I kissed along her jaw, making my way towards her ear. "I'm only interested in you" I murmured, before nipping gently at her earlobe. I felt Naomi smile at my words.

"Come on" she breathed. She took my hands with both of hers and led me the short way to her dressing room. After shutting and locking the door – just in case of any interruptions – she sat down on the sofa, dragging me down next to her. The grin on her face made her feelings perfectly plain. I gladly moved closer to her. We kissed softly, neither one of us wanting to push things. We were still finding our way with this new relationship, and had not really defined how slowly we were going to take things. I was happy to let Naomi set the pace.

She did so, deepening the kiss a moment later. I readily met her tongue with mine. It felt amazing to get lost in the moment with her. As one, we sank more comfortably back into the sofa, not once breaking our lips apart. Naomi's hands were on my waist. As we continued our slow but passionate kissing, her fingers traced gently across the soft skin exposed at the bottom of my t-shirt. The action sent little tingles of delight right through me.

* * *

Things seemed to settle quite quickly into a kind of routine over the next couple of weeks. We had a performance every night of the week except one. Stepping out onto that stage became easier every time I did it. My nerves grew less and less the more certain I became of what I was doing. During the day, we continued to work on any improvements to the show that were needed. We also continued to work hard at promoting the show. Keeping it in the public consciousness was a never-ending task. Every day, Naomi and Cook spent time talking to their contacts, trying to make sure that our act was always in people's minds. We were a huge hit, but Naomi insisted that we needed to work hard to maintain that status. Katie and I did our best to help as well, but since only one of us was able to be out on any one occasion, our time was more limited.

It did feel very restricting, not being able to go out whenever we wanted. And whenever I did go out, I had to answer to the name 'Katie'. I tried my best to make sure that Katie let me go out at least an equal amount of times to her, but it proved difficult. Katie seemed to feel that since she was the one with the bigger part to play in the show, that somehow gave her more rights to go out whenever she felt like it. But since I was quite often kept company by Naomi when I was staying in, I didn't feel the need to grumble too much about it. It was wonderful just getting to spend time with her. She sought out my company on a regular basis, and we spent many a lovely afternoon together, or evenings after our show finished. We would go to her dressing room, or to one of our hotel rooms, and spend the time chatting and laughing and making out.

Things didn't go further between us, but I was happy with that. Okay, that's not completely true. Just looking at her makes me horny as hell, but I have no intention of rushing her into something that she may regret. She has already let me in further than I ever expected, and that's clearly something new and scary for her. Whatever her reasons are for wanting to go slow, I feel sure that she will confide them to me eventually. Besides, I had never wanted just a one-night-stand with her. I felt happy knowing that whenever we did take things further, it would actually mean something to both of us.

* * *

"Em, are you okay?" Katie's concerned voice snapped me out of a very pleasant daydream. We were all ready to start another evening's performance, but my mind had been elsewhere. I had been re-living my most recent kissing session with Naomi. We had spent the whole afternoon together in her dressing room, and had ended up losing track of time and having to dash to get ready for the show. I grinned at my sister.

"Yeah, I'm fine" I told her. She shook her head at me.

"You've been acting odd lately" she informed me. I cast a glance in Naomi's direction and we exchanged a small, flirty smile unseen by Katie. It amazed me yet again that we had managed to keep things so secret. Neither Katie or Cook seemed to have the slightest idea what was going on between us, despite our often less than subtle behaviour around each other. We hadn't really discussed the idea of telling them about us. Until we were sure where things were going, there seemed no point in making everything very uncomfortable for the whole group. I wasn't keen to face that particular conversation with Katie anyway, and Naomi seemed reluctant to raise the matter with Cook.

"Well I'm fine" I assured Katie.

"I spoke to mum earlier" she told me with a grin. "She said we've even been in the papers back home!"

"Really?" Katie nodded.

"Yeah, with us all being British, they did an article about the show! Of course it didn't mention you, or give my actual name - which mum wasn't impressed by - but there was a photo!" Well that was typical of our mother. She was probably pissed off that there was no mention of her own business in the article. I grinned across at Naomi, thinking that she would surely be happy with such publicity. Her reaction was not what I expected. Instead of looking pleased, she bit her lip uncertainly.

"Which paper?" She asked Katie. I felt sure there was a hint of nervousness in her tone. Katie shrugged.

"Dunno, one of the nationals. Apparently, there was a big photo of you and me, and loads about the show. Mum said she'd send us the article."

I watched Naomi carefully, and saw a slight frown cross her face. I was getting used to reading her moods, and could see that she was quite perturbed by this, despite not showing much.

"Is everything okay?" I asked her. Something about that article was bothering her, and I wanted to know what. Was she worried that somehow the British press would find out about me and ruin the show? As soon as I spoke, Naomi's expression changed to a smile.

"Yeah, that's great!" She said with enthusiasm. I smiled back at her, but I wasn't convinced. Katie's next words wiped all other thoughts from my mind though.

"And mum says that her and dad are going to come to Vegas to see the show next month. Isn't that great?"

Fuck.

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**So there we go. I hope the beginning of the chapter didn't scare anyone. You didn't really think I would have Naomi do a complete U-turn though, did you? I wouldn't do that to you!**

**Let me know what you think!**


	17. Secretly

**Well, here we are again. Took a bit longer than my usual update time, but you'll be glad to hear that they are still moving in a forward direction. It's not as long as I would have liked, but I felt I needed to just get it out there for you all.**

**Thanks as ever for the reviews, they really make me smile! To Portamento: its nice to hear that this story is encouraging people to watch magic. I've been enjoying the Penn & Teller show myself.**

**Who votes for them to get to second base? Naomily that is, not Penn & Teller. Though who knows - maybe that's a fanfiction that's already been written...**

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Chapter seventeen: Secretly

Naomi

I stepped into the elevator, ready to go down to our rehearsal room. As the doors closed, I caught sight of a flash of red in the corridor. I hastily pressed the button to open the doors again. It seems that getting my first kiss of the day from Emily was going to be easy this morning.

"What are you grinning about, Campbell?" The scornful face of Katie greeted me. Shit. Of course I wouldn't be as lucky as that.

"Nothing" I grumbled. It was true – at my first proper glimpse of the wrong twin, my goofy grin had fallen from my face. I half expected to see it smashed on the floor at my feet.

"Well, this'll put a smile on your face!" Said Katie, pulling a newspaper from her handbag. I could see that it was a British paper – probably the one her mother promised to send. Katie flicked through it until she found the right page. "There!" She declared triumphantly. I took it from her grasp and scanned the article. It was a standard 'Brits abroad doing well' sort of story, and was full of praise for our show. Alongside it was a photo of me and Katie – one of our many publicity pictures. The whole thing took up about half a page. I frowned to myself at the sight of it. I hadn't really thought about there being any publicity back in England about our show. I had almost forgotten that a world existed beyond our little bubble in Las Vegas. Yet here was a British newspaper telling whoever cared to read it exactly what I was up to now. And more importantly, where to find me.

"…So we're going tomorrow night." I glanced up at Katie with a vacant stare. It seemed that she had carried on talking, and had just told me her plans for the following evening.

"Huh?"

Katie chuckled at me.

"Yeah, I knew that article would catch your interest!" She said with a laugh. "Me and Cook. We're going to see Freddie's show tomorrow."

I nodded, finally feeling up to speed. Katie had recently started to take an interest in the rival magic act, and had insisted on going to see it the next time we were dark. Cook had readily agreed, but I had made my excuses. I had no wish to sit through the show again. Besides, I could hardly let Emily spend the whole evening alone while the rest of us went out, could I? No, I had graciously agreed to keep the secret twin company. Although, by 'graciously', I really mean 'readily'. Spending the evening making out with Emily sounded infinitely more fun than seeing Freddie's show.

* * *

"So why's Katie suddenly taken an interest in the show now?" Asked Emily for the third time. I shrugged, and proceeded to pour a glass of wine out for us both. Katie's actions were quite often a mystery to me, but not a one that I felt the need to ponder over. "She didn't seem bothered when _we_ went to see it. Why now?"

"I dunno" I answered, with just a hint of exasperation creeping into my tone. We had the whole evening alone together in Emily's room, and I didn't want to waste it by talking about her sister. Talking didn't figure very highly in my plans at all in fact.

"Okay, I'm sorry" said Emily with a smile. I smiled back and stretched out across the bed, watching Emily as she moved about the room. She had on a very snug-fitting t-shirt that made her tits look fantastic. My eyes had been constantly drawn there since I walked into the room. "You want to watch some TV?" She asked as she stretched up to reach the remote control. I was about to answer that I didn't want to watch TV, but the words dried up in my throat.

For some unknown reason, the cleaners in this hotel always put the TV remote on top of the tall TV cabinet after servicing the room. Not a concern for most people, but for someone of Emily's height, it was problematic. As she strained to grasp the remote, her t-shirt rose up, exposing a good section of midriff above her jeans. She was standing side on to the cabinet, and from my position reclining on the bed, it allowing me an excellent view of her smooth stomach and her pierced belly-button. I couldn't tear my eyes away from such a beautiful spectacle. That top was quickly becoming one of my favourites on her.

"Nai?" Emily's concerned voice reminded me that she had asked me a question.

"Er, no. No TV" I murmured, whilst unashamedly staring at her exposed skin. What's the point in trying to hide it anymore? It's no secret that I'm attracted to Emily. Wait - yes it is, but not to her.

"No TV" Emily repeated, as she stepped nearer to me. Christ, how the fuck can she make her voice sound so sexy and husky like that? I smiled, and let my eyes trail back up to meet hers.

"No" I answered. "I was _hoping_ to spend the night canoodling with my girl, if that's okay with you?" Oh smooth, Campbell. Why the fuck did I say that? 'Canoodling' is the sort of word my mother would have used. Emily giggled.

"Canoodling?" She asked, clearly amused at my choice of words. "Does anyone still 'canoodle' anymore?"

"Come here and we can find out" I breathed. Emily climbed onto the bed. Moving on her hands and knees, she made her way up my body. She kept her progress deliberately slow, her eyes fixed firmly on mine. She drew level with my face before coming to a stop, hovering agonizingly above me. I stared up into her deep brown eyes. God, I could lose myself for days in them. A faint smile played across her lips, and I sensed some teasing was about to occur.

"So what exactly does 'canoodling' involve?" Asked Emily softly. I grinned back at her.

"Well, first you have to be much closer…"

With a flirtatious smile, Emily finally gave in to what I wanted. She lowered herself down onto me, and met my lips with her own. She deepened the kiss almost immediately. Acting on instinct, my hands went straight to trace across the soft skin at the base of her t-shirt.

Much as I loved being like this with Emily, it wasn't quite enough anymore. We had been taking things slowly – which I still wanted – but it felt like we had been acting like a couple of nuns around each other. Admittedly, a couple of nuns that snog each other every chance they get, but for all I know that could be what nuns do. Maybe that's what all the singing is about.

I let one hand move higher. My fingertips ghosted up Emily's t-shirt, scarcely making any contact. As they grazed gently across her breast, I felt her smile against my lips. Taking that as approval, I flattened my palm out and gave her breast a firm squeeze. A soft moan was the response to my actions, a sound that sent a rush of heat right through me. Emily moved one of her hands from its position on the bed to stroke my breast in a similar manner. I moaned too, but much louder. The noise made us both giggle. I felt a little embarrassed at how needy I sounded, but Emily's smile soon eased any awkward feelings away. It had been a long time since I had felt this way about someone. That thought could still scare the crap out of me if I let it, but I pushed my fears away. I was having too much fun to let my doubts enter into this right now.

We kissed again. Deep, slow kisses that almost made me dizzy. All the while, our hands continued their exploration over newly discovered terrain. Feeling brave, I moved my left hand down to the bottom of Emily's t-shirt. I slid it back to its original location, this time under her top. I stroked my thumb across her nipple, feeling its hardness even through the material of her bra. I gave it a squeeze, delighting in the second moan that it brought from Emily. She broke our kiss and placed her fingers on the top button of my shirt.

"Is this okay?" She asked as she stared into my eyes. I nodded, not sure that I was capable of forming any words. Emily has a habit of rendering me speechless. She moved back into a sitting position across my lap. With deft movements, she unbuttoned my shirt before splaying it open. Her eyes darted approvingly over the area uncovered. Then I watched in revered silence as she stripped off her t-shirt. As much as I loved her in that thing, I was delighted at its departure. I gazed up in awe at the divine sight of Emily's torso. Her tits were absolutely perfect, only hidden from view by her black bra. Oh and also my left hand, which had not relinquished its hold for a second.

Then she moved back to lying on top of me, our lips meeting again straight away. Our kisses were faster this time, the passion between us becoming more intense. Touching Emily's breasts while feeling her hands on mine was the most wonderful sensation that I had felt in a very long time.

I rolled us over so that I was on top, shrugging my shirt from my shoulders as I moved. I let my fingers stray inside the cup of Emily's bra, teasing across her nipple. She gasped with arousal at the skin to skin contact. I felt my own bra go slack, and realised that Emily had popped the clasp open. My surprise must have shown on my face, because as I stared down at her, she froze. She looked taken aback by her own actions, and unsure of whether she was about to push me too far. I found her concern really touching, and didn't want her to worry.

As I gazed down at the gorgeous, half-dressed woman beneath me, I ached to find out if her tits were as perfect as I imagined them to be. My decision made, I cast my bra quickly to the floor. Emily's eyes widened with surprise as she took in the sight of my topless figure. I felt a little self-conscious being so exposed like that, but I couldn't mistake the lust in Emily's eyes as she stared at my chest. Slowly, as though giving me the chance to stop her, she reached forward and placed a gentle hand onto my breast. The contact sent a burst of longing through my body. I arched into her touch, which seemed to spur her on. She raised her other hand and caressed both my tits as though she felt privileged to be able to touch me. I closed my eyes as every flick of her fingers across my nipples added fuel to my fire.

I groaned as Emily removed her hands from me. I opened my eyes and was about to protest, before realising that I had yet to see Emily topless. She was about to put that right for me. With a coquettish smile, she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. I held my breath as her breasts finally came into view. They were the most amazing tits it had ever been my good fortune to look at. I felt sure that my mouth must be hanging open as I stared at the flesh now on show to me. I surged forward, and we kissed each other fiercely, our hands roaming freely across each other's tits.

I lost track of time while we made out like that. I lost track of anything that wasn't Emily, half naked beneath me. If asked, I probably couldn't have told you my own name right at that moment. But after some time of increasingly heated touching, Emily let out a soft groan.

"Nai" she breathed. I was kissing my way along her jaw towards her ear, and didn't want to be interrupted. "Nai. Naoms!" As her tone became firmer, I stopped what I was doing and looked down at her with a frown. "Maybe we should stop" she gasped out. "I mean, if you don't want things to go any further that is." I noticed that Emily was struggling to control her breathing, and I realised that I was no better. Things had been moving pretty quickly this evening, and as much fun as it was, I still wasn't ready to take things any further. Only my body seemed to disagree. I felt so turned on, and could feel a hot wetness in my knickers. Time to cool things off. I nodded, and sat back on the bed, putting a little space between us. Emily sat up as well. I felt suddenly awkward, as though I was some virginal adolescent, blowing hot and cold.

"I'm sorry" I muttered. "I didn't mean to get so heated, it's just that you're so beautiful, and I…" Emily leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to my lips to silence me.

"Nai, it's fine" she insisted. "I loved it, okay?" I nodded. Emily grinned at me. "I _really_ loved it, but I don't want us to get too carried away before you're ready." I nodded again, feeling somewhat better about it. At least it seemed as if Emily had enjoyed what we'd done as much as I had.

Emily slid off the bed and reached for her t-shirt. I retrieved my own discarded clothes and put them back on. I couldn't deny myself a last longing look at Emily's figure as she pulled her t-shirt down over her still bra-less tits. Fucking hell, that girl has a hot body! Emily caught my gaze and grinned at me.

"Perve!" She declared, as she handed me a glass of wine. I couldn't even deny it.

We settled onto the bed, each with a glass of wine in hand, and a respectable distance between us now. I took a grateful gulp of wine as I tried to regain some hint of composure. I cast around in my mind for a neutral subject to talk about while we tried to keep our raging passion in check.

"So when are your parents coming to visit?" I asked. Emily chuckled.

"Okay, that's guaranteed to pour ice over my libido!" I laughed along with her. I guess it had been rather abrupt. "I'm not sure" she answered with a sigh.

"Don't you want them to visit?"

Emily shrugged.

"Yeah, of course I do." She didn't sound very sure about it though. "But things with my parents are… complicated." Her shoulders slumped, and she lapsed into a thoughtful silence.

"So what are they like?" I asked after a moment or two.

Emily shrugged again.

"They're okay. Normal in a lot of ways. My dad's great, but mum can be a bit…" She sighed as she sought the appropriate words. "Full-on, at times." Emily took a hasty swig of wine, as if she needed its help to talk about her mother. "She cares far too much about what other people think. That's her reaction to anything out of the ordinary: 'what will the neighbours say?' Like anyone should give a shit about what they think!"

I tried my best to imagine a woman – maybe an older version of Emily or Katie - frowning with distaste as a teenage Emily tried to tell her that she was gay. It was so at odds with what my own upbringing had been. Everything had always been so openly discussed in my household. Whenever I was attracted to a girl or a boy, I talked freely about it, because I knew that there was nothing wrong with those feelings. It was such a shame that not all parents are as open and accepting as mine had been.

Emily let out an exasperated sigh.

"I know I should tell them" she said. "I _will_" she added firmly. She sounded suddenly so resolute, and it sent a little tremor of panic running through me. Since meeting Emily, I had encouraged her to come out to Katie and her parents. I know that in the long run it's what she should do, but things are different now that we're together. I don't really have any wish to be introduced as 'the girlfriend' just yet, so since we became a couple, I've no longer mentioned to her about coming out. Hell, I haven't even told Cook about us, I'm hardly ready for the tempest that would be Katie's reaction. Never mind the whole shit-storm it could bring with it, if things turned really nasty.

Emily grabbed my hand and linked her fingers through mine.

"It's not really fair, is it? Keeping this secret from Cook and Katie."

I shook my head gently, but refrained from giving her an answer just yet. She was right of course – it's not fair. Yet somehow, I'm just not ready for it to be out in the open yet. Deep down, I know that I should tell Cook. He is my best friend, after all. And I know that he would be happy for me, but telling him would somehow make this whole thing seem more real. Something that I'm just not ready for.

"It's going to be right out of the blue though" I began, hating myself for what I was saying. "Maybe we should wait a while. You haven't seen your parents in ages, so if you suddenly spring all this on them…"

Emily frowned, but she nodded her agreement.

"What about Cook?" She asked. "How come you haven't told him?"

"I'm not sure how he'd take it" I answered, unable to look her in the eyes anymore. "After everything that happened with Effy and Freddie, maybe he'd think us being together would fuck the group up." I could feel Emily's gaze remaining steadily on me. Could she tell that I was lying? Perhaps she was trying to read what I was really thinking. It made me feel very uncomfortable.

"You're probably right" she said eventually. "We should wait."

Well, clearly her resolve had not been that strong, I told myself. If I could talk her out of it that easily, then she mustn't actually be ready to go public just yet. Coming out is a big step, and she should take more time over it. Though even as I reassured myself, I still felt guilty.

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**Well, I hope you liked that. Please let me know what you think!**

**Myrtle.**


	18. Behind Blue Eyes

**After my last author's note, did anyone else have trouble getting the image of Penn & Teller getting passionate with each other out of their minds, or was that just me?**

**Big development for you this chapter, and a big surprise ending. Well, except for anyone who suspected that this is where I was going. Which probably quite a few of you have. Or maybe not, but I don't know.**

**Shall I just let you read on? Okay!**

**Enjoy! Myrtle**

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Chapter Eighteen: Behind Blue Eyes

Emily

"So, good night last night then?" I asked Katie as she walked into the rehearsal room. After me, she was the first one to arrive. Katie, Cook and Naomi had all gone out to a nightclub after our show last night. There had been a special guest DJ on somewhere, and Katie had been desperate to go. Cook had quickly agreed, but Naomi had taken a little more persuading. But once Cook began complaining that she never went out anymore, he soon won her around.

"Yeah" said Katie with a grin. "The others not surfaced yet?" I shook my head. "Well, it was a late one."

"_You're_ here" I pointed out. Katie chuckled.

"Yeah, I had to get up early to get rid of Daniel. Didn't want him thinking he could stick around for breakfast."

"Daniel?" I asked, arching a questioning eyebrow at my sister. Katie grinned broadly.

"Yes. Fit as fuck, and really well hung. The sort you would have gone for, actually." I bit my lip. How Katie thought she knew what my taste in men would be was beyond me. I guess she just assumed that I liked the same things as her.

"I thought you and Cook were together?" I asked, anxious to change the subject from my non-existent taste in men.

"Cook?" Asked Katie with a surprised snort. "Where'd you get that idea?" I simply shrugged. I could hardly tell Katie that I got that information from Chloe. "No, he's a good laugh, but I wouldn't shag him! I think he pulled as well, last night." Katie suddenly frowned. "Naomi was acting odd though." Her words piqued my attention, but I tried not to show too much interest. It didn't really matter – Katie rarely needed any encouragement when she had something to say. "Yeah, she had plenty sniffing round her, but she didn't seem interested in anyone."

"And that's odd?" I asked, unable to contain myself. Katie nodded emphatically.

"Well for her it is! That slut's working her way through the entire population of Vegas, normally!" I bristled at Katie's assessment of Naomi, but refrained from passing comment. I knew it would greatly surprise Katie to learn that she herself had slept with more people than Naomi since coming to Vegas, but I wasn't about to try convincing her of that. Katie continued. "Anyway, she had a right face on her when we got to the club. Then she got a text message, which really cheered her up. But after that she seemed more interested in checking her phone every five minutes, than pulling." I suppressed a smile at this unexpected information. Naomi had texted me not long after they had all left, telling me that she wished she was with me instead of at the club. I had replied that I would prefer that, but I still hoped that she had a good night. I had been tempted to reply that I was in bed, and definitely wished she was there, but I felt that would be a flirtatious step too far. Naomi had texted back shortly afterwards telling me that she would take me out dancing soon. I was glad that she had made such a promise in writing – Naomi is normally a very reluctant dancer. Not wanting to intrude too much on her night out, or be perceived as a possessive girlfriend, I had not replied to that text. But it seemed that I had been in her thoughts all night. It was a particularly pleasant realisation, given how little emotion she normally shows.

I know that Naomi feels something for me, but she rarely gives anything away. We seemed as if we were taking baby steps forward, then baby steps back in our relationship. I felt a delicious thrill deep in my stomach whenever I thought about our recent make-out session that had progressed rapidly to something more intimate. But whenever Naomi showed me more affection, it was swiftly followed by her retreating within her own thoughts, and closing me out. She was scared of making this thing between us into something real, and I longed to know why. She kept me at arms length whichever way she could, and it was all that I could do to keep hanging on even that close.

My own feelings were easier to read. Having tried to convince myself for so long that I had no strong emotions for her, I was way past denial by now. I'm in love with Naomi. Plain and simple, head over heels in love. And trying not to blurt that scary little detail out to her at an inopportune moment was driving me crazy.

"Morning." The very woman that is constantly in my mind made her presence known at that moment. She looked quite bleary-eyed, and a little delicate, but the smile she gave me when our eyes met was so full of warmth.

"Hi" I grinned back shyly. God, I was so pathetic. How can she not know how I feel? How can anyone not know? There were probably little cartoon hearts emanating from my eyes! "Good night?" I asked.

"Yeah, shame you couldn't be there" she answered, averting her gaze from me.

"Fuck me, last night was great!" Declared Cook as he burst noisily into the room. Naomi winced at his raised voice. "Got myself some quality pussy action!"

"Charming" said Naomi with sarcasm. Cook raised his eyebrows at her.

"Well what about you?" He asked. "Not in the mood for it?"

Naomi shrugged, her eyes fixed firmly on the floor.

"Not really" she muttered. Cook stared at her, as if waiting for her to add more.

"No, you haven't been for a while" he said eventually. Naomi just shrugged again, still not raising her eyes to meet his. Cook flashed a quick glance in my direction, and I found myself holding my breath. Did he suspect what was going on? Once again, I wondered why Naomi seemed so reluctant to keep Cook in the dark about our relationship. She had said it was because she didn't know how he would react, but I didn't fully believe her. Surely he would be hurt more by her keeping something like that a secret from him? Perhaps she thought it would all be over before he had a chance to discover it – a thought that gave me no comfort whatsoever.

Before I could think more about it, Cook flopped down into a seat and changed the subject.

"Shame that prick Freddie was there."

"Hey, I forgot to ask!" Said Katie suddenly. "We saw his show the other night. How the fuck does Effy do that mind-reading thing?" She glanced between Cook and Naomi, waiting for one of them to fill her in. Cook and Naomi exchanged a look, before Naomi answered her.

"Well, it's kinda obvious if you think about it" she said slowly, before Cook and her dissolved into a fit of giggles. Any tension that I thought there was between them was at an end. Katie and I both stared at them with curiosity, waiting to be let in on the joke.

"We don't know" Admitted Cook eventually. "But most magicians hate to admit that something fooled them, so they usually just act all mysterious when someone asks them how something was done."

Katie and I exchanged a shrug. Clearly, this was an old joke between them. Probably one of those 'you had to be there' types.

Cook rose swiftly to his feet, startling us all slightly.

"Look, let's blow off our practice today. The show's fine, and we're all a bit hungover." He looked expectantly at Naomi, but I didn't rate his chances. We had one day off a week, and Naomi rarely gave us any more than that. She surprised me therefore by nodding at Cook's suggestion.

"Yeah, why not" she answered. "I could probably do with more sleep anyway." Cook and Katie were out of the door before she had even finished her sentence. As soon as the door closed behind them, I crossed the room to reach Naomi. I slipped my arms around her and pressed my lips against hers.

"I missed you last night" I told her as we broke apart.

"Yeah, it's a shame you weren't there" was her only answer. From what Katie had told me, I felt sure that Naomi had missed me too, but it seemed that she was in no mood to admit it to me.

The two of us hung back for a while, until Katie would have had time to reach her room. Then we ventured away from the theatre. We hadn't gone too many steps, before we spotted Freddie making his way towards us.

"What the fuck's he want?" Muttered Naomi under her breath.

"Great night last night!" Said Freddie, with his usual swagger. "_We_ were treated like VIP's all night."

"So were we" answered Naomi with a disinterested shrug. She was clearly getting sick of Freddie's games. "But I'm knackered, so I'm off for a lie down. Unless you were here for a particular reason?" When Freddie made no answer, Naomi turned away from him and walked towards the elevators. I made to follow after her, but Freddie caught my arm.

"What the fuck was all that about, Katie?" He hissed, anger evident in his voice.

"All what?" I asked indignantly, stepping easily into my impression of my sister. Freddie scowled.

"Who the fuck was that guy you were with?" He demanded. Alarm bells instantly began to chime inside my head. Why the hell did Freddie care what Katie did on a night out? I hastily wiped any sign of surprise from my face.

"Oh, you mean Daniel?" I asked with a simpering smile. Freddie's expression darkened.

"Don't play games with me Katie!"

"What about you?" I snapped. "What about Effy - aren't you and her together?"

Freddie sighed, and tried to calm his temper down.

"Katie I told you, it's not like that anymore. It's just for appearances" he insisted. The sickly pleading note to his voice was excruciating. Everything about the man spoke 'liar' to me.

"I'm not in the mood for this" I told him firmly. I walked away before giving him any chance of a come-back. I had to get away before I said something that might make him suspicious that I wasn't Katie. I caught up with Naomi by the elevators.

"What was that about?" She asked. I gave a vague answer as reply, but luckily she just accepted it. I knew Naomi would go mad at Katie if she knew what I was beginning to suspect. It seems that Katie has been playing with fire, and I was determined to find out the truth from her before sharing it with anyone else.

As Naomi and I stepped out of the elevator on the floor for our rooms, she turned towards me with a guilty look on her face.

"Look, I really am tired Em" she told me. "I'm just going to head for a lie down, okay? I'll see you later." She headed off towards her room. I felt a little disheartened at the certainty that this was just more of Naomi's 'avoiding intimacy' shit. We had been getting closer, so naturally her reaction was to back away from me. I sighed into the empty corridor, and wondered if I would ever get to know what was going on in that head of hers.

I turned my steps towards my own room, but ground to a halt outside of Katie's door. My conversation with Freddie was still fresh in my mind. I knocked on the door and waited until she let me in.

"What's going on with you and Freddie?" I demanded without preamble, as I stepped into her room.

"What?"

"Don't give me that!" I snapped. "I just saw him. He thinks I'm _you_, remember?" A look of guilt flashed across Katie's face at my words. It vanished almost immediately.

"We snogged once!" She insisted. "That's all! But he won't let it drop." I wasn't convinced that she was telling me everything. I tried my best to get more details from her, but Katie just maintained that there was nothing going on between her and Freddie. In the end I let the matter drop, but I vowed to myself to keep an eye on Katie from now on. Not exactly easy, since I could never go out at the same time as her, but I would do my best.

* * *

Later that evening, I was lying next to Naomi on her bed. She had surprised me by inviting me there after our show. Once again, her mood towards me had changed, and a thaw had set in.

"So how was your night last night?" I asked. I was still hoping to get some admission from her that she had missed me. Naomi sighed.

"Boring, actually. Katie and Cook were both on the pull, so I was left by myself." I was tempted to point out that we had been on many nights out when I was the one left by myself, but I didn't. Instead I decided to push Naomi a little bit to see if I could find out more about her.

"Have you and Cook ever…" I let my sentence trail away, and watched Naomi carefully for her reaction. My question caught her off-guard.

"What!" She asked, with a laugh to her voice. Her erubescent face told me that it wasn't quite such a ridiculous question as she tried to pretend.

"Have you ever slept with Cook?" I pushed, determined to find out the truth. It wasn't from jealousy – her attachment to Cook was clear, but it was obvious that there was nothing romantic between them. My motivation was purely to try and push through another of Naomi's layers.

"Nearly" she told me with a half smile. I arched an eyebrow at her. Naomi sighed, and launched into an explanation. "It was when we first met in New York - I told you I was screwing around back then. Cook and I hooked up, we went back to his place, but…" She shrugged, as though the rest should somehow be obvious.

"So what happened?" I asked with a smile. Naomi rolled her eyes, exasperated by my perseverance.

"Nothing" she muttered, before seeing that I was still looking for more of an answer. "He could tell that I wasn't really up for it, so he stopped" she continued. She avoided my eyes, staring absently at the space on the bed between us. "I hadn't been up for it with any of the people I shagged really, but Cook was the only one to notice." She frowned to herself. "Or the only one to care, maybe."

"So why did you shag them?" I asked. I had always suspected that Naomi wasn't the type to sleep around. I wondered why anyone would do that if it wasn't what they wanted. Another sigh escaped her lips.

"'Cause I wanted to feel that I was…" Her words dried up. She didn't have an answer for me, not because she wouldn't tell me, but because she didn't really know herself. Instinctively, I knew that I had pushed her far enough for one day. I reached forward and gave her hand a squeeze.

"It's okay" I told her as I slid closer to her. I pressed my lips to hers, effectively ending the conversation. Clearly relieved, Naomi deepened the kiss. As our tongues met, we settled more comfortably back on the bed, and our hands did their now familiar dance over each other's pliant bodies.

Just as things were beginning to get interesting, the phone rang, startling us both.

"Shit, who the fuck's that?" Muttered Naomi with a frown. It was unusual for us to hear the bedroom phone ringing – we mostly used our mobiles to communicate. Naomi clambered off the bed and picked up the handset. I could only hear her half of the conversation.

"Hello?... Oh, right… Well who is it?" As the person on the other end of the line answered, I saw a flash of shock cross Naomi's face. "No!" She snapped. "I don't want to speak to him, okay?" Without waiting for a reply, she slammed down the phone. Startled by her reaction, I sat up.

"Naoms, are you okay?" I watched her as she wrung her hands nervously together.

"Yeah" she answered mechanically. I rose from the bed and stepped towards her.

"What is it?" I asked. Naomi shrank back from my grasp. It hurt me to see that she did it instinctively.

"Nothing" she said, shaking her head as if to clear whatever had just happened away. Her face still revealed that the phone call had really shaken her up. Then she turned her eyes on me and seemed to return to the room around her. "It's getting late" she told me with a small smile. "Maybe you should go." I knew an evasive Naomi when I saw one. I tried my best to ask her what was wrong, but she simply claimed that everything was fine. She repeated again that I should go, and eventually I had no choice but to leave. I left her room with a frown on my face, wondering yet again just what was going on in Naomi's life.

* * *

She began avoiding me after that evening. Not entirely, but she shunned any chance to be alone with me. Her mood was very unsettled, and she seemed constantly distracted. Even Cook and Katie noticed, but Naomi claimed that everything was fine whenever they asked her about it. Believing that it may just be more of her usual fear of intimacy, I thought that it would pass soon enough. But after a third day went by without me talking one on one with her, or kissing her, or even touching her, I decided to confront her. She can't keep messing me about like this. I know we haven't made any commitment to each other, but we're still having a relationship here. At least I think we are. Shit, what if she wants to break it off?

I knew that I had to find out more - the constant flow of insecurities in my mind was driving me mad. I chose a time when she couldn't avoid me. I walked up to her room one morning, before we were all due in rehearsal. I hammered forcefully on the door. Eventually, it swung open.

"Emily" she sighed. "Is everything alright?" I marched past her into her room.

"I want to know why you've been avoiding me" I asked. Naomi's shoulders slumped.

"I haven't, I've just been busy."

"Don't give me that bullshit!" I crossed my arms and stared firmly at her. I couldn't take this any more. I deserved to know what exactly was going on. "You've been avoiding me ever since that phone call the other night, and I want to know why!" Naomi stared back at me, looking very uncomfortable. I gazed into those fabulous blue eyes, so adept at hiding her secrets from the world. I dropped my harsh stance and adopted a softer tone. "Nai whatever it is, you can tell me" I pleaded. She simply blinked then turned away from me.

"It's nothing" she muttered. For God's sake, did she think I was blind? I let out a frustrated sigh.

"Naomi, I can't keep going like this." She turned back to face me, a look of anguish across her features. It gave me some hope that she really does feel something for me. I pressed on with what I had to say. "You keep pushing me away, when all I want to do is help. Just tell me what's wrong." She could no longer meet my gaze, and her eyes drifted down to stare at the carpet. I felt tears stinging the backs of my eyes, so I hastily blinked them away. Naomi made no attempt to say or do anything. "Right" I said quietly. With an inner strength that I didn't know I possessed, I turned my back on her. I opened the door, and had every intention of walking right through it without a backwards glance. I prayed with everything I had that she wouldn't really let me leave like this.

"Emily!"

There was a tremble of emotion in her voice that caught me by surprise. With hasty steps, Naomi closed the distance between us and pushed the door shut. My heart leapt at the realisation that she wanted me to stay. But her next three words brought my whole world crashing down around my ears.

"Emily, I'm married."

* * *

**Cue dramatic excitement music...**

**Let me know what you think!**


	19. Grounds For Divorce

***Peeps out from behind netbook* **

**Okay, so that last chapter surprised one or two of you! In all honesty, that was my intention. There weren't really any clues beforehand, because I wanted you all to find out when Emily did. Naomi has referred to her marriage on a couple of occassions, but they were only veiled hints.**

**Anyway, thankyou so much for the response to the last chapter! To the reviewer who mentioned the chapter title: yes, I was definitely referring to the original version of that song. I love The Who, and they are one of the best live acts I've ever seen. **

**Shall we meet Naomi's other half? For those of you that hate any alternative partners for Naomily just on principle, I've made it easy for you...**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: Grounds For Divorce

Naomi

I had spent the last three days in a blind panic, barely able to focus on anything around me. Ever since that fucking phone call. Well no, that wasn't the start of my panic – not really. That was the confirmation, but ever since I discovered that our act had been covered in the British press, I had been braced for him to get in touch. My little bubble was shattered, and the past that I had run so far from had finally caught up with me. Just as I was beginning to let my guard down.

Of course I tried my usual tactic first of all. I closed myself off, and acted to those around me as if nothing was going on. When Emily came demanding the truth, my plan was clear: secrecy, denial, silence. In short, anything that would deflect her from the truth. After all, he may not even come to Vegas. Okay, so I didn't really believe that, but I could probably stop him from meeting the others. No one need even know.

Just one problem with that plan. I didn't take into account how much Emily has gotten under my skin. Seeing her so hurt over my behaviour – it was more than I could stand. I could hear the unshed tears in her voice, and I hated myself for it. And then she turned to leave my room - and quite probably our relationship - behind. All my efforts to push her away, to stop her getting closer were for nothing. As I stood on the brink of pushing her away for good, the thought of being without her suddenly terrified me more than confessing the truth. And so it spilled out.

"Emily, I'm married." Fuck, that was far too blunt. Maybe I should have thought this through first. The tears that were threatening to fall from Emily's eyes were now much closer to the surface. Shock was written all over her face. Whatever she had been expecting me to say, it's a pretty safe guess that _that_ wasn't it.

"What?" She gasped out. It was about all she seemed capable of saying.

"No, I mean…" Shit, this was going to take some explaining. I took a deep breath, trying to collect my thoughts. "We're separated."

"Right." She nodded, but I wasn't sure that my words had really registered. "So, you're divorced then?" I shook my head sadly.

"No, we're still married."

"Fuck." Emily shook her head gently, and a couple of tears stared to fall. I moved closer, desperate to comfort her, but she just stepped away from me. "Since when?" She asked, with her back turned. I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself.

"I got married when I was seventeen" I answered softly. Emily span round to face me.

"_Seventeen_?" She gasped. I answered with a curt nod. "You've been married for nine years, and it never occurred to you to mention that?" She threw her hands up in defeat. "Fuck!"

"I was young" I insisted. "Justin was my boyfriend when my parents died, so…"

"Justin?" Asked Emily, a bitter tone to her voice. I nodded. This felt very strange – I hadn't even uttered his name in years. Emily sank dejectedly down onto the bed.

"Do you love him?"

"I _did_" I told her, emphasising the past tense. "But getting married was a big mistake. It's been over for ages."

"But you're still married!" She snapped. She rubbed furiously at her eyes, trying to remove any trace of tears.

"I filed for divorce! But Justin refused to sign the papers, so by law, I can't divorce him until we've been separated for five years." My throat felt parched, so I walked over to the mini-bar and grabbed a bottle of water. I was tempted to reach for something stronger, but since it wasn't yet nine o'clock in the morning, I decided against it. Things were complicated enough – no need to throw a drinking problem into the mix.

"How long ago did you file?" Asked Emily. Her voice sounded flat, like all of the energy had left her body.

"Just over four years ago" I told her. I could have told her the length of time exact to the day, and quite probably the hour if she had asked. This wasn't going the way I had hoped. I was desperate for Emily to understand things clearly. "Emily, getting married was the biggest mistake I ever made."

"But you were with him for five years before you reached that conclusion."

"No, I…" Shit, this wasn't right! I wanted to explain it all, to tell her what an awful marriage it was, but it just wasn't coming out right.

"What does he want?" Asked Emily with a frown. "I assume that was him on the phone the other day?" I nodded.

"I don't know" I confessed. "I hung up before they could put his call through, and he's never phoned back." In truth, the fact that he hadn't tried calling again had me more panicked than if he had been constantly ringing. Justin was not one to give up easily. The fact that he hadn't called again made me think that he was probably on his way to Vegas even as we spoke. If he wasn't already in town, that is.

The beep of a mobile phone interrupted our thoughts. Emily sighed, and glanced down at her phone.

"It's Katie" she muttered. "Letting me know she's in the theatre."

"Let them wait" I insisted. "I need to tell you about Justin." Emily raised her eyes back to mine, and the anger I saw in them shocked me. I had never seen her so mad before.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" She asked. I opened my mouth, but no sounds emerged. The answer to that question was hardly straight forward. "You're fucking _married_ Naomi, and you never once thought about telling me!"

"I wanted to, I just…"

"No you didn't. You didn't tell me, because you don't want to let me in." Well, that had at least been a part of the truth at first. I had never wanted to let her in even a little way, but somehow she just kept on getting further and further in. Why couldn't she understand that?

"Emily, I've got closer to you than I've ever got to anyone!" Emily sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I used to think that. I even thought we were starting to make some progress! But how can I believe it, when you've been married to someone for nine years? And when you've kept that fact hidden from me?"

I shook my head, wishing that I could make her understand. Emily sighed again. She sounded ready to concede defeat.

"I can't deal with this" she muttered. She stepped closer to the door, and a wave of panic ripped through me.

"Emily!"

"Just give me some time Nai, okay? I need to get my head round it all." I nodded, not really sure what else I could do. I knew I owed her whatever she asked of me, but I still had so much that I wanted to explain. "I can't face rehearsals today" she added.

"I'll make an excuse." Emily nodded, then left my room without a backwards glance. As the door closed behind her, the accusing silence surrounded me, sucking the air from my lungs. I snatched up my key card and headed down to the theatre.

* * *

Half way through some very half hearted rehearsals, there was a knock on the door. Since only one twin was present, I called out for them to enter. A young stage-hand poked his head into the room.

"Miss Campbell? There's a man here to see you." The uncertainty in his eyes, and my conviction that Justin would be making an appearance any day now, combined to fill me with fear.

"You know not to disturb us during rehearsals!" Snapped Cook. His temper had been a little short all morning. He had looked at me with suspicion when I told him and Katie that Emily couldn't join us due to a migraine. But nothing had been said, and the two of them seemed to accept it without question. I had difficulty talking Katie out of visiting her sister, but eventually I had insisted that we needed to press on with our rehearsals without Emily. Which didn't exactly leave Katie in a good mood either.

The stage hand nodded at Cook.

"I know, but he said… well…" He turned back to face me, and my ribcage felt like it was closing in around my heart. "He said he's your husband."

"What!" I hardly even heard Katie's surprised exclamation. I simply turned to Cook with a pained expression. He was frowning back at me. I had told Cook once about getting married, and had even given him a basic outline about Justin, but I had let him believe that we were officially divorced. In an instant, I made up my mind. I felt stronger facing Justin with other people present.

"Send him in" I told the stage hand. I took a deep breath, and tried to prepare myself for seeing him again. It wasn't enough time. It would never be enough. Within far too few seconds, the man himself walked into the room. He was almost as I remembered him. Black hair, now slightly longer than when I last saw him, broad shoulders, hunched posture, misshapen nose. He smiled the same soft smile that I had fallen in love with all those years ago.

"Hi Naomi!" I glanced to the side and saw the other two watching him closely. Cook seemed to be sizing him up, while Katie was staring at him with curiosity written all over her face.

"Hi" I answered shortly.

"What have you done to yourself?" He asked with a frown. I was so used to seeing blonde hair when I looked in the mirror that it took me a second to realise what he was referring to. Self-consciously, I touched my hair.

"Oh, I dyed it." Was the only answer I made. Justin twisted his mouth slightly, a gesture that long experience taught me meant that he didn't like it. He glanced to the side, and seemed to realise that other people were present. "This is my partner Cook, and my assistant Katie" I told him with a wave of my hand. Justin gave them both a firm handshake.

"Partner?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"_Business_ partner" I clarified. Justin stared at me for a beat more.

"Right" he said with another soft smile. "So…" He turned his eyes expectantly towards Katie.

"No fucking way!" Snapped Katie, correctly guessing what his unspoken question was. "Not even if Hell froze over! I'm straight." I rolled my eyes at Katie's constant need to clarify that, before remembering that I had much more pressing concerns.

"What do you want?" I asked Justin.

That same gentle smile was turned in my direction once more.

"You're my wife, Naomi!"

"_Ex_ wife" I deadpanned.

"Not yet" answered Justin, a hardness creeping into his voice for the first time. It was gone the next instant. "I just wanted to catch up with you, that's all. Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" I crossed my arms over my chest, making my body language as cold as possible.

"And it never occurred to you that I didn't want to be found?" I asked harshly. "I've got nothing to say to you." I longed to stare him down so he could see that I was serious, but I couldn't raise my eyes from the floor. Cook stepped nearer to me, and I felt the warmth of his protective presence. I felt sure that he must be glaring at Justin.

"We're trying to work at the moment" said Cook with a firm politeness. "So perhaps you can play 'catch up' another time." Still I couldn't lift my gaze, so how Justin looked at this entreaty, I had no idea.

"Well I'm in town for a while, Naomi" he insisted. "So we _will_ talk later." He turned and walked from the room. Not for the first time in my life, I felt grateful that Cook could summon up a very threatening persona when he wanted to. As soon as Justin was out of the room, Katie rounded on me.

"Since when are you fucking married?" She asked, reminding me of the excruciating conversation that I had already had with her sister. The biggest difference being that Katie seemed delighted to have some fresh gossip about me. I didn't answer her. Instead I just turned to face Cook.

"Thanks" I told him. His jaw was set, and he looked a little angry.

"Thought you were divorced" was all he said. I nodded.

"I would have been, if he'd given me one." I sighed. "Cook I'm sorry I didn't explain properly, but you know I hate talking about him."

"So how long have you been married for?" Asked Katie, completely ignoring my last statement. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Let's forget about rehearsals today, I'm not in the mood." Without giving anyone a chance to argue, I left the room. I had no wish to go bumping into Justin again, so I headed straight for my dressing room and locked myself inside. I sank down onto the sofa just as the tears started. All the emotion of the past few days, and today in particular, just came bubbling to the surface, and I could contain it no longer.

* * *

Emily was careful to avoid me when she turned up to get ready for the show. I had no chance to speak to her at all before it was time to step out onto the stage once more. Somehow, I managed to put everything else to one side and perform the show to the best of my ability. Being in front of an audience fills some people with dread, but to me it just feels like home. No other thoughts or concerns can bother me, I am purely in the moment.

Until the second I left that stage, and came face to face with a very stern looking Emily. I let Katie and Cook take the second bows alone, and stepped closer to Emily, hoping she would let me talk to her.

"I'm sorry" I began with. Emily just sighed. "I never meant to hurt you!" I insisted. Emily just shook her head.

"I've had to listen to Katie going on about your husband the whole time we were getting ready." I didn't know what to say in answer to that, so I settled for a shrug. When Emily fell silent, I began again.

"I know I should have told you. I want to tell you everything – if you'll hear me out." Cook and Katie rejoined us at that moment, so we took a casual step apart. Soon after, we all moved off towards our dressing rooms and the chance to talk was gone. I decided to let Emily take her time to decide if she wanted to listen to me. Once I was changed out of my show costume, I headed off to my room. I prayed that Emily would follow me there, but she didn't.

* * *

It wasn't until after our show the following evening that I heard a faint tap on my bedroom door. Emily and I had had no chance to talk alone throughout the day. I wasn't sure how much of that was due to circumstances, and how much was by Emily's design. I was so relieved therefore, to see my favourite red-head stood in the corridor when I opened my door. She stepped quickly into the room.

"You said you wanted to talk" she said softly, as she sat down on the bed. Her demeanour gave nothing away about whatever was in her mind. I sat down next to her, keeping some space between us. I longed to wrap my arms around her, but I didn't feel like I had the right to do so anymore.

"Yeah, I er… I wanted to tell you about Justin" I began awkwardly. Emily nodded to show that she would listen. I took a deep breath and tried to arrange my erratic thoughts. No amount of time would make this any easier – I had to just launch in. "I'd dated other people before I met Justin, but he was the first person I was serious about. He was my boyfriend when my parents died, and he helped me through it all. When he asked me to marry him, I said yes straight away. I thought it was what I wanted, but I know now that I was trying to replace the family I'd just lost." I allowed myself a moment of bitter reflection at that thought. If mum and dad had been alive, they would never have let me get married at the age of seventeen. Instead, permission had been granted by an uncle who was glad for me to be someone else's concern. "He's a few years older than me, and I thought he was so smart, and so knowledgeable. But he just wanted to control me."

"_Control_ you?" Asked Emily. I could hear the familiar note of incredulity in her voice. This was the part that was so hard to explain.

"He was a bully." Emily stared at me with a horrified expression, and I knew instantly that she had jumped to the wrong conclusion. "He never hit me" I insisted quickly. It was true – Justin had never raised a hand to me. But it was always the first question anyone had asked whenever I tried to explain my concerns to my friends.

I blinked furiously to stop the tears that were threatening to arrive. This was going to be hard enough without the waterworks starting up. Once I felt back in control of myself, I continued.

"He was jealous and possessive. It wasn't that bad at first - I thought it was nice that someone cared that much about me. But it just kept getting worse. He started to complain whenever I met up with friends, he didn't want me to work, or to go to University. He lost his temper whenever I did anything he didn't like. Soon I just started doing what he said. It just seemed easier to give him what he wanted." A stray tear splashed down my cheek. I hastily wiped it away.

"Naoms that's awful." Emily reached forward and squeezed my hand with hers. The gesture gave me the confidence to keep going. In the past I had struggled to get people to understand the true nature of my marriage. Friends had always told me that they would love to have a partner who took care of them the way Justin did with me. They didn't understand that I had given over so much ground to him - so much of myself. In the end, I stopped confiding my fears to my friends. As his hold over me had grown, I stopped hanging out with my friends anyway.

"It all just happened gradually" I explained. "I didn't even realise how much hold he had over me until I felt like I couldn't do anything without him. He would chip away at my confidence all the time. He made me feel stupid and useless." Emily smiled softly at me.

"Nai, you're the smartest woman I've ever met." I shrugged. Tears began to flow again, but this time I ignored them.

"I didn't feel like it when I was with him. Looking back, it's amazing how much control I let him have over me. I was such an idiot." Emily shook her head firmly.

"Naoms, you were young and very vulnerable. He's the idiot, for not appreciating what a wonderful woman he was with! He took advantage of you." She edged closer to me and slid an arm around me. Grateful to be in close contact with her once more, I snuggled into her embrace. We sat quietly like that for a few moments.

"I know I should have told you" I muttered at length. I raised my head from where it was resting against Emily's shoulder, and looked into her eyes. "I'm really sorry, it's just I've tried so hard to forget my past." Emily nodded.

"You should have told me."

"I'm sorry" I repeated. Suddenly my reluctance to confide in Emily seemed so ridiculous. Talking to her about it actually made me feel a little better.

"I know" she breathed as she closed the distance between us. Her lips pressed softly against mine, and I drank in their taste once more. I closed my eyes and raised my hand to gently caress her cheek. I was surprised when I felt Emily's lips part, her tongue seeking out mine. I gladly gave in, a low moan escaping from my throat at the contact. Perhaps it wasn't forgiveness just yet, but at least it was a sign that Emily wasn't going to leave me.

A knock at the door made us break reluctantly apart. I frowned, wondering who it could be at this hour of the evening. As I opened the door, my exhilaration of moments ago evaporated in a flash.

"Justin!" I gasped.

"Hi Moany" answered Justin, easily. I shuddered at the all too familiar nickname. He stepped confidently into my room before I had any chance to argue. His confidence faltered when his eyes fell on Emily. He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Katie. Isn't it a little late for discussing magic?" He cast a quick glance in my direction, before staring at Emily again. "Still claim to be straight?" Emily rose to her feet. She shifted her weight onto one hip with a sassiness that was pure Katie.

"For your information, we're friends" she snapped. "Good friends." She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. Justin shrugged dismissively.

"I saw the show tonight" he told me with a nod. Since I made no answer, he continued. "It was good. You've fooled a lot of people" he said smoothly. Although his comment could have been referring to magic, I knew that wasn't what he meant. He turned to face Emily again. "I'd like to speak to my _wife_ if I may, so why don't you leave us alone to do that?" His tone was polite, but there was an air of steel just beneath the surface of his words. Emily drew herself up to her full height, still several inches shorter than Justin.

"I'll leave when Naomi wants me to." Justin simply turned to face me, an expectant smile on his face. I took a deep breath. I had long since persuaded myself that I was a different person – a stronger person - to the one who left England four years ago. Perhaps it was time to prove that to myself.

"It's okay" I told Emily. "I'll speak to him." She opened her mouth to argue, but I didn't give her a chance. "I'll be okay" I insisted with a smile. Somehow I sounded more convincing than I felt. "I'll see you tomorrow." After a moment's hesitation, Emily reluctantly turned to leave. As much as I knew that I had to start fighting my battles alone, I still felt my shoulders sink as Emily closed the door behind her.

* * *

**And the Fitches are still to arrive! I'm starting to feel a little swamped by all the threads I've got running through this story.**


	20. Whispers And Moans

**Hello again!**

**Random thought: I saw an episode of Frasier that I hadn't seen before, in which Laurie Metcalf appeared as Frasier's first wife. She played a female children's entertainer who was sex mad. **

**Hmm, I forget what my point was going to be...**

**Speaking of sex, as you've probably guessed from the chapter title, there are scenes of an adult nature in this chapter. I know the last chapter ended with Naomi and Justin alone together, but don't worry: he's not getting any!**

**Hold on to your hats! (Mine has a rabbit in it).**

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Chapter Twenty: Whispers And Moans

Emily

That bastard! That fucking, manipulative arsehole!

I grumbled away to myself all the way back to my own room after leaving Naomi. What the fuck was I thinking? Had I really just left her alone with that piece of shit? Though on reflection, what else could I have done? Naomi insisted that it was okay – that she would speak to him. I couldn't really do anything else. Naomi had already assured me that he was never violent, otherwise no power on earth would have shifted me from her side. But that didn't mean that I was happy to be leaving her and her husband together in her room for a late night tête-ã-tête.

It had been a shitty couple of days, all things considered. Finding out yesterday that Naomi was married totally floored me. I knew there were things in her past that she hadn't told me about, but I wasn't expecting something as big as that. I had hardly heard a word that she said when she first told me about it. I just wanted to get as far away from her as possible and think things through on my own. Of course, that wasn't helped by him showing up later that day. Katie had been delighted with her piece of gossip when I had finally shown up for the evening performance. I did my best to hide my emotions and simply pretend that my interest was similar to Katie's.

"So what was he like?" I had asked her.

"Nothing to write home about" she had informed me with a dismissive shrug. That was just typical of Katie!

"I didn't mean looks" I told her with a sigh. Katie thought carefully about her brief meeting with Justin before answering.

"Well he seemed nice enough I suppose" she began slowly. "But he was a bit… I don't know. Borderline passive aggressive, if you ask me."

That sentence had definitely piqued my interest. As had Naomi's insistence that evening that she wanted to tell me all about him. I was still too angry and too much in shock to really hear her out last night. But throughout today, my feelings had mellowed slightly, and I realised that I at least should listen to what Naomi had to say.

Her confession about Justin surprised me. It was hard to think about Naomi ever letting someone treat her that way, but it had happened at a very vulnerable time in her life. And it certainly explained a lot of her behaviour since then. It also explained why her 'almost shag' with Cook had led to such a firm friendship between the two of them. Up until that point, she was used to everyone taking from her whatever she offered. Cook was probably the first person in a long time to actually check if that was really what she wanted.

I still felt hurt at Naomi that she hadn't trusted me enough to tell me sooner, but at least she had actually confessed it eventually. She could have let me find out at the same time as Katie, in the middle of rehearsals. I'm not sure I could have held my countenance, if that had happened. I gave a little shudder as I imagined being in rehearsals with the others while some stage-hand announced that Naomi's husband was there to see her. At least she had spared me that. And I was so relieved to hear that she doesn't love him anymore, that I was practically running to forgive her.

Then just as things were softening between us, there was the man himself, wanting to talk to Naomi. Acting like he just had that right, and questioning _my_ reason for being there! Telling Naomi that she had 'fooled' a lot of people. Yeah, I didn't miss the not-so-hidden meaning in that sentence. Fucking wanker. For once, I was in complete agreement with Katie's initial assessment of someone. Except that I would drop the word 'borderline'.

Prick.

I continued grumbling away to myself while I got ready for bed and slipped under the covers. I lay there with my book in hand, but I wasn't actually looking at the words on the page. My mind was far too full for reading. What the fuck did Justin want with Naomi? Surely he hadn't come all this way just to tell her that she could have a divorce?

I was torn from my silent reflections by a small tap on my door. I glanced at the clock: it was nearly midnight. Though in Sin City, that's an early night. I put my book down, threw back the covers and headed to the door. I wrapped a bathrobe around me as I went. I checked the peephole, and was surprised to see a very nervous looking Naomi on the other side of the door. I threw it open. She smiled nervously at me, biting her lip.

"Can I come in?" She asked softly. I nodded, and clicked the door closed behind her as she moved into the room.

"So what did Justin want?" I asked, trying not to sound churlish. Naomi looked to be considering her answer for a moment.

"He said I never should have left him and that he wants me to come home" she answered with a sigh. "I told him to sod off" she added quickly. Her eyes darted around the room, her nervousness obvious.

"Naoms, what's up?"

"He wouldn't leave" she told me, unable to meet my gaze. "In the end, I just walked out and left him there. He said he'll be waiting for me until I get back."

"What?" Naomi shrugged, but still wouldn't look at me. "Naomi, we should call hotel security!"

"He'll just tell them he's my husband."

"But you still have the right to…"

"I don't want any fuss" she said gently. Finally, she raised her head and looked pleadingly at me. "Can't I just stay here tonight?" She looked so forlorn that I didn't have the heart to turn her away. I swallowed nervously, and glanced at the only bed in the room. Sure, it was huge. The two of us could spend the whole night in it without ever touching each other, but the last time we had been together on it… I shook my head slightly, trying to rid it of the images that had just arrived there.

"Of course!" I answered with a shrug, trying my best to sound casual. She gave me that same anxious smile. The one where she bites her lip, drawing my eyes right to her mouth. I hastily looked away, and tried to think of cleaner thoughts.

"Thanks" said Naomi quietly. She stepped towards the bed, kicked her shoes off and started to peel her jeans down – an action that dragged my eyes straight back to her. I found myself staring as those long, perfect legs came into view. Stupid bloody brain: I felt sure it was capable of clean thoughts, but apparently there is nothing of the sort in there. As she removed her bra through the sleeve of her t-shirt, I suddenly remembered something important: I was naked under my bathrobe.

"I er… I um." I cleared my throat awkwardly. "I should…" I stepped over to my chest of drawers and hastily pulled out a pair of knickers and a t-shirt. "I don't _wear_ pyjamas" I offered as explanation to Naomi. Her face flushed as she caught on to my meaning. I bolted into the bathroom, practically slamming the door shut behind me.

A few minutes later – and after splashing plenty of cold water on my face - I was slipping under the covers of my bed next to Naomi.

"You'll have to start standing up to Justin sooner or later" I told her. "You can't let him force you out of your own room like that."

"I know" answered Naomi with a frown. "But you don't understand what he's like." She sighed gently. "In the past he's always been able to talk me around somehow. That's why I ended up leaving the country to get away from him. It felt like the only way I could break away from him for good."

That answer did nothing to make me feel any better. What if he was able to win her around again? Losing Naomi would be awful no matter how it happened, but to see her throw herself away on that scumbag would be unbearable.

"So will he win you back again?" I asked, unable to stop myself from voicing my fears. Naomi shook her head.

"No, not this time" she said firmly. "I'm stronger now. I don't _ever_ want to go back to him. And besides…" She paused, considering her next words carefully. I held my breath, wondering what she was about to say. She cleared her throat, and I knew immediately that she was going to settle for avoidance once more. "Listen, I don't really want to talk about him right now. Okay?" I knew that our conversation was at an end.

"Good night then" I said. I reached to switch off my bedside lamp, but Naomi's voice arrested my hand in mid-motion.

"Emily, I lied to you" she said in a small voice. Fuck, more lies! What now? I left the light on and turned around to face her. Naomi was staring resolutely down at the bed. "Justin left." I frowned, trying to work out exactly what she was referring to. With a quick upwards glance, Naomi saw my confusion. "Tonight" she added. "He only stayed in my room for about five minutes, then he left." My frown deepened, as I puzzled over why she had lied about that. What exactly had she got out of that lie? Then it hit me: that lie was the reason she was lying in my bed right now. My jaw dropped slightly in realisation. "I just wanted to be with you tonight" she said softly. She met my gaze, and I saw a whole mix of emotions in her eyes. Nervousness, uncertainty, and love - I was sure of it. All of the hurt and anger I'd felt over the past couple of days vanished from my mind. I couldn't help myself: I surged forward and kissed her. Slow, passionate kisses, that she met with equal passion. She slid her arms around me, pulling me into her. Soon I was lying on top of her, our legs tangled together. A yearning need burned its way through me.

I broke the kiss and pulled back to look into her eyes. The nervousness was gone, and I could see that my intuition was right – Naomi _wanted_ me tonight. She was finally ready to let me in – physically and emotionally. I knew that I should still be mad at her, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted her just as much. I sat back on my calves, straddling her, and pushed the constricting covers to the bottom of the bed. Naomi sat up as well, as though she didn't want the contact between us to stop. I was happy to oblige. I gave her another deep kiss, before placing my hands on the bottom of her t-shirt. I cast one last clarifying glance at her, but she simply grinned at me. Taking that as encouragement, I stripped it off in one motion.

Naomi's shoulders twitched, like she was fighting the urge to wrap her arms protectively around her chest. I had noticed her make the same movement the last time we were topless together. I had found it odd that someone so beautiful could be so self-conscious, but now it made sense. I was finally getting to know a little something about what goes on in that head of hers. I felt a flash of anger at the cause of her uncertainty, but I pushed it away. Anger had no place here, and Justin was the last person I wanted to think about.

"Naomi you are so beautiful" I whispered, as I stroked my hand gently across her cheek. She blushed. "I mean it" I insisted. I poured all the sincerity I could into my words, wanting her to understand just how stunning she really is. "You are just breath-takingly gorgeous and sexy" I told her with a smile. She bit her lip again and lay back down on the bed, allowing my eyes to devour the sight in front of me. It was a clear declaration that she was ready to trust herself with me. I felt an ache of longing for her. I stripped off my own t-shirt before moving down to meet her. Naomi reached straight for my tits, and I moaned as she squeezed them firmly. I pressed hot kisses to her face and neck, allowing my hands to caress every inch of her exposed skin.

"Fuck, Emily!" She groaned.

"Shhh!" I whispered against her lips. "Remember my sister's in the next room!"

"Fuck!" she breathed through clenched teeth. "I'm gonna have trouble keeping quiet tonight!" The mere thought of Naomi screaming in ecstasy beneath me sent a rush of heat right to my core.

I kissed a path from her lips gradually down to her breasts. I covered them with kisses, sucking her nipples until I felt them harden against my tongue. I kept my progress intentionally slow. Naomi may still not be ready to hear me say I love her, but I was determined to _show_ her how she makes me feel. Her hands tangled in my hair, and her breathing quickened. I continued my caressing attentions, tasting her skin, stroking the contours of her wonderful figure. Her body undulated with every touch, reminding me how long it had been since she had had sex. It hadn't exactly been recent for me either, but my aim was set on making Naomi feel amazing.

I moved lower, kissing and licking her stomach while my hands massaged the outside of her thighs. Still I took my time. I wanted Naomi to know that she had made the right decision in sharing herself with me. Moans and gasps told me exactly what effect I was having on her. Lower still, and I found myself staring at her last remaining item of clothing. I hooked my fingers into her knickers and started to take them off. I peeled them down a little way, and kissed along her bare hips. I pulled them further and kissed the creases at the top of her legs. I continued to take them off inch by lingering inch, pausing occasionally to drop kisses onto her slender legs. Each movement had Naomi writhing with anticipation.

"Christ, Emily!" She breathed. Finally, I slid her knickers from her ankles and dropped them to the floor. Remembering how self-consciousness she is, I stepped from the bed and stripped my own knickers off, leaving us both naked. Naomi watched me hungrily as I did so. I took a moment to appreciate the sight before me: Naomi, spread naked and breathless on my bed, waiting - _aching_ - for me to make love to her. I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face as I climbed back onto the bed.

I ran a hand teasingly up the inside of her thigh, our gazes locked firmly on each other. When I reached the top of her legs, Naomi moaned and I gasped at just how wet she was. Her hips jerked upwards as my fingers explored her soaking folds. I knew that she didn't want to wait another second. I pushed her legs gently apart and settled myself between them.

"Oh Fuck, yes!" Groaned Naomi at the first touch of my lips. I delved my tongue deep into her pussy, then licked and kissed her pussy lips. I turned my attention to her clit, licking and sucking with the sole aim of driving Naomi into a frenzy. She clutched desperately at the bed sheets beneath her as my tongue continued to push her towards ecstasy. As she hurtled nearer to the edge, I slid a finger deep inside her. She moaned again, sounding very close to letting go. I added another finger and thrust into her while continuing to suck her clit.

With a final rush, the shudders of Naomi's orgasm hit her. She whispered my name, trying desperately to contain any noise. I moved with her as her hips bucked, not stopping my movements as she rode that wave of euphoria. I pushed on, wanting her to feel every last little after-tremor. She let herself go completely, letting her orgasm totally consume her. It was a beautiful sight to witness.

As Naomi's trembling eased, I moved back up her body and wrapped my arms around her. She gazed at me through bleary eyes. The smile she gave me was a one of utter contentment, and it made my heart sing.

"You're amazing" she whispered, before pressing a kiss to my lips. She gave a satisfied sigh as she laid her head against her pillow. Her eyes were full of emotion. She looked to be fighting the urge to say something, but she stayed silent.

We lay like that for a few moments more. I thought Naomi was drifting off to sleep, but she was simply catching her breath.

"I think it's your turn now" she said as she rolled us over until I was on my back. She kissed me deeply, as her hands caressed my breasts. It was my turn to moan. I didn't think I had ever felt this turned on in my life before. I felt sure that I would spontaneously combust if Naomi had the same slow build up in mind for me.

"Naoms I want you so much" I whispered when she moved her lips down towards my tits. She heard the longing in my voice and smiled softly up at me. She stroked her hand between my legs, and I felt my pussy clench with the need for more.

"Fuck me, you're wet!" Said Naomi with a cheeky grin.

"Fuck _me!" _I grinned back, aware of the neediness in my voice. Immediately Naomi pushed two fingers firmly inside me, causing me to gasp. I held tightly onto her shoulders as she thrust into me, our rhythm syncing straight away. She kissed me again, her tongue moving into my mouth as her fingers slid into my pussy. As I moved closer to the edge, I broke the kiss, unable to keep that contact. Naomi gazed down at me as she pushed me on towards blissful release. In no time at all, I was shuddering and gasping through my own orgasm. Naomi held me close as my body trembled, watching me in awe as I bit my lip. I wasn't just trying to keep quiet, I was also fighting the urge to put my true feelings into words. 'I love you', I thought again and again. 'I fucking love you so much'.

"I love you." The words that were tearing round and round my head were suddenly spoken into the room, but not by me. Naomi said it so softly, that I almost didn't hear her. "Emily, I love you." I stared at her, hardly believing that she had really just said that. She looked like she hardly believed it herself, as she stroked a strand of hair from my sweaty forehead. Then she gave me the most perfect smile that I had ever seen.

"I love you too" I whispered, my heart swelling to twice its normal size. I hardly dared speak it too loudly, in case that somehow shattered the moment. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly to me. She gripped me back with equal force, as though trying to stop herself from falling. She buried her face in my neck, and I could feel that she had tears in her eyes. "Sssh" I soothed. "It's okay. It's okay." I didn't really know what I was saying, I just wanted her to know that I was there to catch her.

* * *

**Well, I hope you liked that! Let me know what you think. Myrtle**


	21. Chains Of Love

**So I was going to bring the rest of the Fitches into this chapter, and I also want to get back to some stuff to do with the show, but Naomi decided that it was time for a heart to heart.**

**And have you ever noticed how sometimes sex scenes are like buses? None for ages, then two come along at once...**

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Chapter Twenty One: Chains Of Love

Naomi

I glanced across the sleeping form of Emily to the clock at her side of the bed. It was nearly seven in the morning. Rehearsals didn't start until nine so there was no rush to get up, but I had been awake for some time. I was sat back against the headboard, the covers pulled up around me, desperately fighting the urge to run. My clothes lay scattered on the floor within easy reach – I could throw them on and be out the door without a sound. It was certainly a tempting thought. Ordinarily, I would have acted on it already by now, but something was stopping me from leaving that bed.

I sighed softly, and watched the rhythmic rise and fall of Emily's chest as she slept. She looked so peaceful, blissfully unaware of the tempest that she had stirred within me. I cast my mind back to last night. Believe it or not, I hadn't even come here for that – for sex and impassioned declarations of love. Yet somehow, things never go as planned around Emily. She has a way of throwing me off balance with one hand, and catching me safely with the other. And she had made me do the one thing that I had vowed never to do again: I had fallen in love.

_That_ was the scariest part about last night's declaration. Not the words. Not the fact that they spilled effortlessly from my lips without any apparent thought from me. Not even the fact that she uttered them straight back with a sincerity that couldn't be challenged. No, the scariest part was the fact that I _meant_ them. Unequivocally, and beyond all doubt. It wasn't the heat of the moment, or a response to a quite breath-taking orgasm: it was how I really felt. I am in love with Emily Fitch.

How could I not be? She is quite simply the most amazing woman that I've ever met. Take last night: most people would have ran a mile at the revelation of such a big secret. But what did Emily do? She opened up her heart and her bed to me, simply because I asked her to. And as for what happened next: my God, she was incredible! Putting me at ease, showing me I could trust her, making me feel like I was the centre of her world.

When I left England four years ago, I swore that I would never let anyone get that close to me again. Finally leaving Justin had taken every ounce of strength that I could find: I had no intention of surrendering myself over to anyone ever again. So I shagged around. I never got to know anyone, I never formed attachments. I took what I wanted from people and gave little in return.

Except that wasn't true: not really. My disastrous 'almost fuck' with Cook helped me to realise that I didn't _want_ sex with a string of strangers. I had only been trying to boost my fragile self-esteem by proving to myself that I was desirable – and it hadn't worked. So I stopped shagging around, but I still longed for that contact. I still yearned to know that people were attracted to me. That I wasn't as worthless as Justin had always had me believing. But it never went further. I never swapped numbers, I never stuck around for small talk. Until Emily, that is: she had ripped up my rule book and danced in its resultant snow-storm.

I never even saw it coming. I was attracted to her immediately, but I thought I could handle it. I kept her at arms length. At least I always meant to, but somehow she kept burrowing her way further and further in. I pushed her away, then turned around to find her closer than ever. In the few months I'd known her, she had turned everything back to front in my life, and instead of running _from_ her, I found myself hurtling towards her.

Last night was a perfect example. Justin really had only been in my room for a few minutes after Emily left it. Just long enough to tell me that I should stop 'being silly', and go home with him.

"I'm not going anywhere with you" I had snorted with feigned self-confidence.

"You're my wife Naomi! You belong with me!" Was his answer. I sneered at him.

"Don't you mean I belong TO you?"

"Of course not!" He snapped. "I just want you back home." I crossed my arms defiantly.

"I have a life here now. I don't need you, and I certainly don't want you, so piss off." I marched to the door and swung it open. Justin stared at me for a moment, as though he expected me to change my mind. Then he stalked out of the room.

"You're coming home with me, Naomi" was his parting shot. "I won't give up until you realise I'm right." I slammed the door so fiercely I was surprised it didn't rattle off its hinges. I sank down onto the bed, shaking after our confrontation. I felt angry at him for just assuming I would instantly fall in with his plans. I felt angry at myself, for all the times in the past that I had done just that. But also I felt pleased with myself that I had stood up to him – something that had been a long time coming. I had spent the past four years looking over my shoulder for him, as though he had some sort of magical hold over me. I was finally beginning to realise that it's not true. The choice was mine alone, and I would never go back to him. I had so much going for me now. All of his lies that I could be nothing without him were shot down in flames. I had my own business with a partner that I really trusted. I had friendships. I had a very successful show, right in the heart of Las Vegas. And I had Emily.

Wonderful, amazing Emily, who was everything that Justin wasn't. In those moments after Justin left my room, she became all I could think about. She was the reason that I would never go back to my husband. She had broken his spell, and given me the will to stand up to him. It was Emily that I wanted to be with, and Justin was left so far behind in her dust that he was no longer even visible on the horizon. After sitting for about twenty minutes thinking about nothing but Emily, I rose to my feet. Without being aware of making a decision, I let my legs propel me out of my room and along the corridor towards Emily's room. I had to see her.

My certainty vanished the second I found myself knocking on her door. My familiar fears rose up. How could I admit to something so vulnerable as needing to be with her? So when she opened the door, I blurted out the first lie that came into my head. Naturally, Emily took it at face value, which only increased the guilt I felt. Eventually, I had to own up to the truth. When I did so, Emily confounded my expectations once again. I had given her so much shit, yet still she was there for me, ready to love me, ready to lavish attention on me.

I watched as Emily, still asleep, rolled onto her side facing away from me. There was no way that I could leave. There's a limit to how much shit one person will put up with, and Emily had received more than her fair share. If I pushed her away again, she may well stop coming back, and I knew now that that's the last thing I really wanted. Besides, she deserved so much more than me just skulking out like a thief in the night. My decision made, I swallowed my fears down and shifted closer to Emily.

I lay behind her with one arm supporting my head against her pillow. I reached my free hand out and traced gentle patterns against her arm. I ran my fingers from the curve of her shoulder, down to the tips of her fingers and back again. I pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder. Emily grunted a little, but her breathing remained the same and her eyes stayed closed. Enjoying the sensation of touching her, I slipped my hand under the thin sheet that was covering us, and placed it on her stomach. Her skin felt soft and warm as my fingers moved over it. She sighed and shifted slightly, before her eyelids flickered open. I placed a second, lingering kiss on her shoulder. Emily gave a low, contented moan at the contact.

I moved closer, pressing my body flush against her back. My hand continued its slow caresses over her stomach, while I pressed tender kisses to her neck and shoulder. My intention had only been to wake Emily, but now that she was, I felt the same desire that she had inspired within me last night. I longed to change her moan of contentment into a one of ecstasy. My hand moved higher, ghosting along the underside of her breasts. Unable to help myself, I reached higher again and squeezed one of them firmly. Emily gasped and I saw her eyes widen. She moaned again, but this one was full of want.

I continued to give her tits my attention, squeezing them and tugging at her erect nipples. I grazed my teeth against her neck and shoulder, then soothed the marks I left with delicate kisses. Then I let my hand trail down between the curve of her breasts. I moved it over her stomach, then down the top of her thigh as far as I could reach without shifting my position. I moved it back up, this time over the back of her thigh. I gave her bum a squeeze as I kissed the base of her jaw. Emily stretched her neck, giving me full access.

Finally, I slid my hand back to her stomach, then slowly down between her legs. She shifted slightly, opening her legs to readily receive my touch. She let out a heavy breath as my fingers slid through her folds, gathering her wetness on them.

"Oh fuck!" She breathed as I made long, unhurried strokes against her clit. I nipped at her earlobe, before moving my lips down to suck at her pulse-point. All the while, my hand slid deliberately between Emily's legs, teasing the opening of her pussy. Her body rocked and rippled against me, her breathing becoming completely erratic. All this without me even venturing inside of her. At least, not yet.

After several minutes of touching her in that measured way, I sensed that Emily was getting close. I reached further around her. Slowly, almost leisurely, I slid two fingers deep into her pussy. The moan that met my ears was heavy with arousal. I withdrew my fingers almost completely, before pushing them back again. I pushed into her with long, languid strokes, driving her body into a frenzy. My palm pressed firmly against her clit as my fingers moved deep inside her.

After several long strokes, Emily clamped her hand down on top of mine, adding to the pressure against her clit. She moaned and cursed under her breath as her orgasm hit her. I could feel her pulsations against my palm and through my fingers as she clenched around me. She rocked her hips against me, letting the waves of pleasure rip through her. I kept my hand where it was and pressed myself firmly against her back, wanting her to enjoy every last bit of it.

Eventually, her trembling subsided. Slowly, I withdrew my fingers, and Emily rolled onto her back. She gave me a dazzling smile.

"Well that was a great way to wake up!" She told me. I grinned back at her. "Thank you" she said softly, looking suddenly serious.

"You're welcome."

Emily shook her head gently.

"I meant for being here when I woke up." I froze. Had she really known that I would consider doing a runner?

"I er, I wasn't…"

Emily reached up and stroked her hand across my cheek.

"It's okay" she whispered. "I'm just glad you're here." I gazed into those perfect brown eyes, reflecting all the warmth that was in her heart.

"I meant it, you know" I muttered. "What I said last night."

"What did you say?" Asked Emily. I frowned, before noticing that the corners of her lips were turned up in a half smile. She knew exactly what I was referring to, she just wanted me to say it again. I took a deep breath.

"You know, that thing at the end. Right after you…" Oh for fucks sake. "I love you." The smile she gave me could have been formed by angels.

"I know you do" she said breathlessly. "I love you too." I leaned closer and captured her lips in a soft kiss. When we broke apart, I lay back against the pillows in contented silence.

"So…" Began Emily at length, drawing the word out. "Do you always lie your way into people's beds?" I felt myself flush with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry" I said, but her smile told me that she wasn't upset. "It wasn't even about sex" I told her.

"Really?" Asked Emily with a chuckle.

"No!" I insisted. I gave a little shrug. "I just didn't want to be alone, that's all." Emily grinned at me.

"And just when exactly did your thoughts change?"

"When I realised that you had nothing on under that bathrobe" I told her immediately. That had been the precise moment that my thoughts had taken a more carnal turn. "The thought of you being naked in the bed we were about to sleep in… well, it drove all thoughts of sleep right out of my head." Emily laughed. I laughed along with her, but I still wanted to make my point clear. "But seriously Em, I didn't really come here for sex." I hated the idea of her thinking that it was some sort of booty call.

"I know" she told me, stroking a hand softly along my arm. "Last night took me by surprise, too. I'm supposed to be mad at you, for fucks sake!" I felt a pang of guilt at that, but I knew Emily wasn't trying to make me feel bad. "But last night we just gave in to _other_ feelings." She smirked at me. "And again this morning."

She was right: that had been our pattern from the start. There was a lot of passion between us, and we had tried in vain to fight it. This hadn't been the first time that we had acted on those feelings – it was just the first time that we hadn't stopped it from going further.

"But you have to be honest with me from now on" said Emily slowly. "No more secrets, okay?" I nodded. "There's nothing else I should know about you, is there? No secret kids back in England or anything?" Her tone was jovial, but her words cut right through me. There _was_ something that I had yet to share with her - something that I had never told anyone.

"No, no kids" I told her, as I tried to swallow down the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat. I braced myself for what I was about to disclose. "But I did get pregnant once" I added softly. Emily was right – I had to start really letting her in if we were to keep moving forward. She shifted in the bed until she was facing towards me, a questioning frown on her face. "I had an er…" It's such a harsh sounding word. I always found it difficult to say aloud. I closed my eyes. "I didn't keep it. Justin didn't want us to start a family, so…" Emily stroked her thumb gently over my cheek. I opened my eyes to see her own eyes staring back at me. They were filled with nothing but love and concern.

"_Justin_ didn't want it?" She asked. I shrugged.

"I was too young for that kind of responsibility, and it would have made things…" I stopped myself before I finished parroting the excuses that I had bought into at the time. I sighed. "Yes, it was Justin's decision." For years I hadn't even let myself believe that it wasn't what I had wanted, too. That had been just too horrible to contemplate – that not only did Justin have control over my life, but over my body too. I felt tears sting the backs of my eyes. As they started to slide down my face, Emily wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug.

Soon, it was all spilling out of me. I told her all about my marriage to Justin – all the awful details. How I had abandoned my plans for University for him. How he got jealous whenever I spent time with anyone else. The fact that I liked both men and women only seemed to make that worse for him, even though I would never have cheated on him. He slowly kept on at me until I eventually dropped all contact with any friends that I'd had. I couldn't even keep a job, because he didn't want me working. I had no money of my own, except what 'pocket money' he gave me.

I told her about how things gradually started to change. The abortion had been the final straw – it made me realise just how much control I had surrendered to him. I told him I was leaving him, but he simply laughed in my face. There were a number of times that I packed a bag and headed for the door, but with no money and nowhere to go, Justin always managed to talk me out of it.

But by then the desire to leave had taken a hold in me. So I began saving whatever money I could, with a view to escaping from him. I started to perform magic for children's birthdays, and at weddings. It was the only thing I could do – I had no qualifications to speak of, but I had always had an interest in magic. It was one of the few hobbies that I'd never given up. Justin usually spent his weekends out with friends, so I was able to keep it all from him. I found that it helped to build up my confidence, and I started to believe that I _could_ live on my own.

Eventually, I made enough money to put my plans into action. I contacted a solicitor to begin divorce proceedings, I bought a plane ticket to New York, and I left the house when Justin wasn't around to try and stop me.

Emily held me tightly as I shared it all with her. She wiped my tears as they fell, and gave me reassuring kisses. I had never shared so much with anyone before, but it actually felt cathartic to do so with Emily.

"The worst thing is that it all just feels so fragile" I told her. "All of this – the show, the business. It's all a fake. Underneath it all, I'm still just that same scared little girl who let her husband tell her what to do. _That's_ the real illusion." Emily shook her head firmly.

"No, Naoms that's not true." She reached out and turned my head until I was facing her. "You got away from him, and you did that by yourself. You've got more strength than you realise." She moved closer and pressed her lips to mine. "You're an amazing woman, Naomi" she told me as we broke apart. "And I love you, just as you are. I never want you to change, and I _never_ want to control you, or tell you what to do." I nodded, and pulled her closer to me, revelling in the warmth of her body pressed against mine.

* * *

Later, the two of us headed down to rehearsals together. We debated if it would be safe to do so, but concluded that we could have easily bumped into each other in the lift. As we walked into the room, Katie eyed her sister with concern.

"Are you okay, Em?" She asked. Emily nodded. "Just I thought I heard you moaning a bit through the night. Still having trouble with that migraine?" I cast a furtive glance at Emily, and saw that she was a little thrown by Katie's question.

"Er, yeah a bit" she mumbled. Surreptitiously, she pulled the high collar of her shirt closer to her neck. I bit back a smile - I may just have left one or two marks under there this morning.

"I thought you'd pulled, at first" continued Katie. "But I knew _that_ wouldn't be it." Emily frowned at her sister.

"And why not?" She asked indignantly. I held my breath, hoping that she wasn't about to say too much here. Katie shrugged.

"Well I can't remember the last time I saw you with a man, Emily! Seriously though – when's the last time you actually had a fuck?" Emily bit her lip. I cast a sly glance at my watch: _about two hours ago_, I thought smugly to myself.

"Well as you said, it was just a migraine last night" muttered Emily. I breathed a silent sigh of relief, and vowed that we would be spending all future nights together in _my_ room.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to get to the airport" said Katie, rising to her feet.

"What? We've got rehearsals!" I insisted. Katie just sighed.

"I told you yesterday!"

I stared blankly at her. I didn't remember any conversation about the airport yesterday, but then I hadn't exactly been at my best. Katie rolled her eyes at me.

"Mum and dad are arriving today, so I said I'd go and meet them" she told me, like she was explaining something to a small child.

Oh shit. Am I really ready to meet the 'in-laws'?

* * *

**As ever, I appreciate your thoughts! **

**And now for something completely different: As you have probably noticed by now, I like to attempt to put comedy moments into my writing (emphasis on the word 'attempt' - whether I succeed or not is a different matter). After all, Skins itself mixes comedy and drama. Although I really could live with less jokes about bodily functions. Seriously.**

**Anyway, I would love to write something that is first and foremost a comedy story, but my inner critic keeps telling me that I'm just not funny. Anyway, I have come up with an idea for such a story, but I guess I'm just wanting to find out what interest there is for it. It's a little bit off the planet, but then so is my head, half the time. Please let me know your thoughts! (Be nice!)**

**Myrtle**


	22. Keep It In The Closet

**Hello again! Sorry for the delay in getting this one to you - for some reason, it just wouldn't flow.**

**Thanks to all those of you that reviewed, and a particular thanks to those that passed coment on my last author's note. I hope it didn't just seem like a shameless plea for nice comments - I really do have loads of doubts about what I write. And there is no-one in my 'real life' who reads these stories for me. I have no one to pass comment, or to maybe say 'Myrtle, that just isn't funny'. Until it gets to this stage, that is. Gulp!**

**But on to this chapter, and the rest of the Fitches are finally in town! I've decided to take a different direction with Jenna, and write her as a fluffy, marsh-mallowey kind of character.**

**Yeah, right.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Two: Keep It In The Closet

Emily

I was a little nervous waiting for mum, dad and James to arrive. I was looking forward to seeing them, but I was also glad that they were only staying in Vegas for five nights, before travelling on to the West Coast for the rest of their trip. I was surprised that they were even staying that long – Sin City would hardly be mums sort of place. I felt anxious about them meeting Naomi. Was it time to come out to them, and introduce her as my girlfriend? That was a huge step at the best of times, but things were still very tentative between the two of us. She was only now starting to really let me in – it didn't seem fair to subject her straight away to my mother's bigotry.

In a clamour of bustle, mum, dad, Katie and James all entered the rehearsal room. With more noise than was strictly necessary, introductions were made and greetings were given. I was wrapped up in a huge hug by first dad, and then mum, before being able to introduce them to Cook and Naomi.

"So these are your bosses then?" Asked dad with a friendly smile to them both.

"We all work as a team" insisted Cook, stepping forward to shake dad's offered hand.

"Well it's lovely to meet you both" said mum, beaming round the room. Naomi nodded, and I noticed that she was somewhat quieter than normal. I could hardly blame her – my family could be a little intimidating at times - even without knowing how close Naomi and I really are.

"Hi, I'm James" said my brother with confidence, as he stepped up to Naomi. He had what was surely supposed to be a charming smile plastered to his face. "How about you show me the sights of Vegas, and I can show _you_ the real meaning of Sin City!" Naomi arched a sardonic eyebrow at him, clearly amused by his attempt at a chat-up line. Cook bellowed with laughter, and clapped James on the shoulder.

"Oh I like you, Jimmy! You and me are gonna have so much fun in this town!" Thankful for the distraction, Naomi took a hasty step away from my brother.

"Just one problem with that" said Katie, throwing a smug smile in James' direction. "They're shit hot about I.D. in Vegas. You'll be carded wherever you go."

James turned to face her with a self-satisfied grin.

"Well I've brought my driving licence with me, bitch!" For once, Katie ignored what James had called her. Instead, she crossed her arms and turned towards me. She raised an eyebrow, silently asking me: 'are you going to tell him, or should I?' With a slight incline of my head, I answered that she could go right ahead. She turned back to face James, her face a picture of condescension.

"You can't drink until you're twenty one in America, loser!"

"Or go to strip clubs" I added, knowing exactly what James would have in mind. His face fell comically.

"You're kidding, right?" At nineteen, James was used to getting served in British pubs, but would have no luck in America.

"'Fraid not!" Answered Katie. Dad chuckled at James.

"Bad luck son! Maybe in another couple of years, eh?" He ruffled his hair - which James instantly did his best to straighten - before turning to face the room at large. "Listen, we're gonna take you all out for dinner tonight, after your show thing. You two included." He indicated Naomi and Cook. "My treat."

"No, I'm afraid we can't…" began Naomi, but her sentence was cut off by mum.

"Oh, don't be silly! Of course you can – we insist."

Katie sighed dramatically.

"I explained all this at the airport! Emily and I can't go out together. No one knows that Emily exists!"

Mum's face creased into a frown.

"But surely you can still go out for dinner!"

I glanced across at Naomi and saw her grimace. She had been through this so many times, and now it seemed that we were going to have to explain it very simply to mum and dad, too.

"Of course not!" Insisted Katie. "We can't be seen _anywhere_ together. And you two can't talk about her, either. Don't go around blabbing that your twin daughters are in a magic show, okay?" I felt the full force of the irony. I was finally doing something that might actually make my parents want to talk about me, and instead they had to pretend that I didn't exist.

Mum waved her hand dismissively, and dad shrugged. I shook my head slightly in exasperation. I wasn't totally convinced that the message had sunk in, but I resolved to have a quiet word with them later to make sure that they understood.

"Look, why don't we all have take-away, and bring it back here?" Said Cook. His suggestion was met with enthusiasm by everyone, and the plan was quickly agreed on.

"Well, we've got some jet-log to get over" said mum with a smile. I bit back a chuckle: this sort of long distance travel is a new thing for my mother. "So we'll go find out if that porter managed to get our bags to our room without damaging my matching luggage set."

"Come and see the show tonight" said Naomi, handing over three tickets to my dad. "Then come back-stage afterwards, and we can order some food."

With yet more bustle, mum and dad departed. James seemed to be hanging back until they had gone, and I soon found out why.

"Just tell me when and where, baby!" He said with a wink to Naomi. "And I'll borrow some money from my dad and show you a good time." Naomi crossed her arms in front of her and gave him one of her coldest looks. Undaunted, James gave her another wink before turning to leave the room. Cook crossed the distance in two strides and caught him by the elbow. He muttered something to him in a very low voice. I couldn't fully make out what he said, but I could have sworn that the words 'fake I.D.' were in there somewhere. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw James leave the room with a bright smile.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Katie turned straight to Naomi.

"Don't you _dare_ fuck my little brother, okay?" Naomi's shock at being addressed like that was evident on her face.

"I have no intention of fucking your brother!" She snapped. Katie glared at her through narrowed eyes.

"Well see that you don't!" Naomi looked set to argue further with Katie, but seemed to think better of it. Instead, she cast a guilty look in my direction. We both knew that Katie would be even less thrilled to discover that Naomi was actually fucking her sister instead. "He's too young for you anyway" continued Katie, determined to make her point. "Especially compared to that husband of yours. How could you marry him, anyway? He's like, over _thirty_ or something!" To Katie, anyone beyond the age of twenty eight was ridiculously over the hill. At the mention of Justin, Naomi's confidence seemed to sap straight from her. She just shrugged and muttered an incomprehensible answer to Katie.

* * *

Much later, we were all gathered together in the rehearsal room, tucking into take-away food. Cook and dad had argued for an eternity over who should pick up the bill, but eventually dad's insistence had won through.

"Katie told us in the taxi how well the two of you have been looking after our girls while they've been here, so it's the least we can do!" He had declared, and that had been the end of the matter.

"So what did you think of the show?" Asked Katie.

"Oh, it was brilliant love!" Declared dad with enthusiasm. "I loved the bit with the thingumy bob, and the whatchercallit!" We all nodded, as if we had a clue what the hell he was referring to.

"Yes, it was very nice" said mum stiffly. Mum wasn't really a fan of magic, as she never liked to feel as though someone was fooling her. "You must have magic fingers, I suppose!"

Unfortunately, I had taken a large swig of my drink just at that moment, and began to choke on it as I remembered where Naomi's 'magic fingers' had been this morning. James banged me hard on my back, which served no useful purpose. Eventually, I managed to get my coughing under control.

"Oh, I remember what I meant to tell you" said mum, having clearly exhausted her praise for the show. "I bumped into that trollop Becky, last week." A tense atmosphere descended, that mum seemed blissfully unaware of. Becky was the new girlfriend of Katie's former fiancé, Scott. I cast a glance at my sister, and saw that she had stiffened at mums words. Mum carried on undaunted. "She's had her baby, you know. _Ugly_ little thing though! I didn't say that to her. Well, you don't, do you?" She looked around the room with the air of one sharing great secrets. I stared at my mother in amazement. She actually thought that she was being nice to Katie by saying this! As though the pain of not being able to have children could be lessened somehow by the fact that Katie's rival had given birth to an unsightly baby.

"So what plans do you have while you're in Vegas?" Asked Naomi firmly. She threw a look of disgust at my mother, but only I saw it. I smiled gratefully at her for hastily changing the subject.

"Strip joints!" Answered James with a wicked grin.

"Don't be silly" said my mother, dismissively. "We'll see some shows, I expect. I've heard that the Marvellous McLair's show is very good."

"You're joking?" Demanded Cook. He immediately began arguing with mum about why they couldn't go to see that show. I switched off from their discussion and sighed softly to myself. I had hoped that Naomi would get on well with my parents while they were in town, but that was just wishful thinking. My mother seemed to have made it her mission to piss Naomi off as much as possible.

"So, any nice young men in the picture?" Asked mum once her argument with Cook was at an end. Okay, so it's not just Naomi that she's trying to piss off.

"One or two" said Katie with a shrug. Mum chuckled.

"Oh, you always keep them dangling, Katiekins!" Then she turned her broad grin towards me. "And what about you Emily? Anyone special in your life yet?" I felt my cheeks heat up with my discomfort. For one crazy second, I imagined what the look on her face might be if I said: 'yes actually, this rather beautiful _woman_ sat next to me', but as usual I said nothing. Unfortunately, mum didn't take my silence as the answer I hoped she would. "oh, you're blushing! Look Rob, I think Emily has a sweetheart that she doesn't want to tell us about!"

"That's news to me" said Katie, staring at me with suspicion in her eyes. Oh that's just fucking great!

"No!" I said firmly. "There's no special man in my life." I knew that none of my family would pick up on my clarification of gender. I didn't feel up to giving them a completely bare-faced lie. Thankfully after a little more teasing, everyone tired of the subject of my love-life, and seemed to accept that I was still single.

The rest of dinner passed without much incident. Afterwards, Cook and James went out together for a night on the town. I felt a little uncertain at the prospect of their budding friendship – they would surely only encourage each other into new depths of trouble. The rest of us went our separate ways and turned in for the night. After ensuring that Katie was shut inside her own room, I left mine to spend the night instead in Naomi's room.

* * *

The next morning, Katie, Naomi and I were waiting in the rehearsal room for Cook.

"He's not answering his fucking phone!" Grumbled Naomi, snapping her own phone shut. Before she could add any more, Cook sauntered into the room with his arm wrapped firmly around James' shoulders. Naomi glowered at him. "You are late, James Cook! Have you been out all night?" Cook gave her a grin that nearly split his face in two.

"What? Nah babe, course not! I just bumped into my little mate here in the corridor" he said, gesturing at my brother. The fact that they were both still in last night's clothes, and smelt worse than an underpass gave the statement no credence whatsoever.

"We've got a lot of work to do!" Huffed Naomi.

"Hey, chillax babe!" Drawled James, edging himself closer to her. "The Fitchmeister's here. Lets you and me have some fun, babe!" Naomi's expression hardened, and she narrowed her eyes.

"The _what?_" She asked, waspishly. Inwardly, I cringed at my brother's pathetic attempts to chat up _my_ girlfriend. James spread his arms wide in a gesture that was pure Cook.

"The Fitchmeister!"

Just as I suspected: James Cook and James Fitch were not two people to be a good influence on each other. I couldn't suppress a snort of laughter at James' ridiculous over-confidence. The attitude somehow worked for Cook, but it didn't suit my pervy little brother one bit. Naomi looked set to lose her patience altogether. She crossed her arms and stared straight at James.

"Get. Out." Her voice was little more than a harsh whisper.

"You better go, mate" added Cook, sheepishly. It seems that Naomi's anger was beginning to sober him up. James shrugged, and ambled out of the room. Naomi turned to face Cook, but before she could say anything, his phone began to ring. He pulled it awkwardly from his pocket.

"Yeah, you'll answer it _now_" muttered Naomi as Cook spoke into his phone. Then she turned to face Katie. "And you thought I would shag _that?_" She asked, indicating the door that James just left through. "I've got a lot more taste than that." As she turned back around, she cast a subtle wink in my direction, and I was pleased to see that her bad mood was at least only partly for show.

"He's fucking WHAT?" Shouted Cook into his phone. All eyes in the room turned towards him. "The thieving, bastard wanker!" Katie, Naomi and I exchanged concerned glances. With language like that, Cook was almost certainly speaking about Freddie. A few tense minutes past while we all listened in to Cook's half of the conversation, trying to figure out what had happened. Eventually, he threw his phone down in disgust.

"Well?" Asked Naomi. Cook sighed, and flopped down into a nearby seat.

"There's rumours going around that Freddie's nicked another one of our tricks."

"What! Which one? One from our _actual_ show?"

Cook held a hand up to halt Naomi's string of questions.

"I don't know" he muttered. "My mate just said he heard people talking, saying that we performed something they saw in Freddie's show."

"Fuck." Naomi started pacing restlessly. "That fucking arsehole! Right, we need more information. I'll start talking to some people I know." As she marched towards the door, Cook rose ungainly to his feet.

"Yep, we'll talk to our contacts" he slurred. Naomi span round to face him.

"No, I'll do that" she snapped. "You go sleep this off before tonight's show, okay?" Cook clearly sensed that there was no arguing with her, and nodded tritely. Naomi then turned her attention to me and Katie. "Emily, maybe you can come with me? Katie, just sit tight and stay out of sight." With no further discussion, we all moved to comply.

* * *

The next morning, Naomi and I were lying side by side in her bed.

"So what now?" I asked. Naomi let out a long sigh, before shrugging her shoulders.

"Not sure."

We had spent the whole of the previous day talking to anyone that may have seen Freddie's show recently. Eventually, we had received a garbled description of the act. It mostly sounded the same as when we saw it, but with one notable difference: it seemed that Freddie had now added a routine that sounded uncommonly like one of our illusions. We just couldn't be sure until we saw his show for ourselves.

"We can see the show tonight" added Naomi. "No point worrying about it until then I guess." I was a little surprised by how calm she seemed to be about it all. She rolled over until she was facing me. "But this is our day off, and I don't want to waste it by talking about that bloody McLair." I nodded my agreement. "Especially when I have a particularly beautiful, and…" Naomi lifted the sheet that was covering us and peered under it. "…completely naked red-head lying in my bed." I giggled, and pulled her towards me.

"And just what do you plan on doing with me?" I asked, in my best flirtatious voice. Naomi closed the distance between us and kissed me.

We had spent the last couple of nights together in her room, and it had been wonderful. Her room was nowhere near Cook or Katie's rooms, so we no longer felt the need to keep the noise down. It turned out that Naomi wasn't kidding when she told me that she would have trouble keeping quiet. She was able to really let herself go now, and the result was absolutely breath-taking. We had probably pissed off whoever were in the rooms next to us, but we really couldn't bring ourselves to give a shit.

Naomi rolled on top of me, and pressed her thigh firmly between my legs. I let out a low moan as she kissed her way down my neck. Her hands sought out my tits, as my own hands slid down over her back towards her bum. She shifted lower. As her lips fastened around my nipple, a hammering on the door shattered the moment.

"Fuck!" Gasped Naomi. She stared at me with a look of confusion, both of us wondering who it was. The answer came soon enough.

"Naomi!" Bellowed Cook. "I know you're in there, Naomi! Open this fucking door, now!" We stared at each other, startled by how angry Cook sounded. After a moment of silence, the hammering began again. "Open the fucking door!"

"Give me a second" she shouted back. "In the bathroom" she added to me in a whisper. I didn't argue, I simply slipped from the bed and darted for the bathroom, picking up my discarded clothes as I went. I clicked the door shut behind me as quietly as I could, and slipped the lock across just in case. I held my breath as I listened to the sounds of Naomi getting up and moving to the door.

"What the fuck, Cook? Hey!"

Footsteps moved into the room. Cook must have pushed straight past Naomi.

"Is she here?" He demanded. A ripple of panic streaked down my spine.

"What? Who?" Blustered Naomi. A bitter laugh sounded from Cook.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Nai."

"Cook, I don't know what you're talking about." Naomi sounded quite convincing in her attempts to pretend that everything was normal. "What the fuck is going on? It's our day off!"

"Not anymore" growled Cook. "Emergency meeting. Downstairs. Ten minutes."

"If this is about Freddie…" A slapping sound reached my ears. It sounded as if something had been thrown at Naomi.

"Downstairs. Ten minutes" Cook repeated, even harsher than before. "I've already told Katie." I heard more footsteps, then Cook's voice again, this time coming from just the other side of the bathroom door. "You too, Emily." Then the door leading to the corridor slammed shut. I opened the door, and peeped cautiously into the bedroom. Cook was gone, and Naomi was sat on the bed in her bathrobe. She was flicking frantically through a magazine. From where I stood, it looked like one of the 'what's on' magazines that they leave in the hotel rooms. As I moved nearer, she stopped on a page about halfway through the magazine. A look of absolute shock crossed her face.

"Oh fuck!"

* * *

**Another cliff-hanger! It's getting to be like an episode of Neighbours around here!**

**Feel free to have a guess about the contents of the magazine. There are plenty of possibilities of course, but there might be a bit more to it than what you're expecting.**


	23. Silent All These Years

**It seems really cold in here. I'm sure there's a draft. Can anyone else feel a draft? Oh, it's okay - someone just left this huge fan switched on. **

**Ew, and what's that horrible smell?**

**Yes, it's that time, folks. As I expected, most of those who guessed what was in the magazine were on the right lines, but there was also a bit more to it than that. As you'll discover, all three of our ladies have some explaining to do...**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Three: Silent All These Years

Naomi

I don't think I've ever seen Cook that angry before. It was clear that he knew about me and Emily. I realised that straight away, but still attempted to bluff my way out of it. But that surely wasn't enough reason for him to demand an emergency meeting.

"If this is about Freddie…" I began, but before I finished the sentence, Cook threw the magazine he was holding at me. I caught it, but Cook didn't stick around for me to take a look at it. Puzzled, I sat down on the bed and started frantically flicking through it. It was a 'what's on in Vegas' magazine. They are left in the hotel rooms so people can find out about the various shows and exhibits that are on. This particular issue had been out for a couple of days. After flicking through more than half of the magazine, I eventually found the right page.

"Oh Fuck!" My first thought was that it was all over.

"What is it?" Asked Emily as she moved nearer, but I could only focus on the magazine. Somehow, someone had rumbled us. There in the magazine was a photo of Katie, right next to a photo of Emily. The game was up, and the big secret that held our show together was out of the bag. I scanned the page, frantically looking for the article about the twins, but there was none. There was no big exposé, simply a standard gossip column with no real content. I looked again at the photos and realised that instead of an article, there was only a caption to accompany them: 'It seems that Katie has a liking for magicians!' I began to breath a little easier – the people who printed the magazine had no idea that the pictures were of two different women.

"Shit." Emily was looking over my shoulder at the two images on the page. As the realisation that our show was safe began to sink in, I took in the content of the photos. One picture was of Emily and me kissing in a nightclub. It must have been taken the last time we had gone out together after the show – before Justin turned up. It was obviously Emily in the picture to anyone that knows her, but the club was dark and the photo wasn't the best quality. The other picture was of Katie. She was sat outside at a cafe table with Freddie McLair. They were leaning into each other, and looked very relaxed and intimate. No wonder Cook was in a pissy mood – all three of us had been keeping a secret from him.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Emily was pacing the floor by now, desperately wringing her hands together. "He said he'd told Katie already. Oh God, she'll probably go straight to mum and dad!" I leapt from the bed and took Emily's hands with mine.

"Emily, stop!" She gazed up at me, and I could see panic in her eyes. All of my concerns about the show vanished, as it dawned on me how much Emily had on the line here. Emily had been there for me, it was now my turn to try and help her. "Listen, we'll face it together, okay?" She nodded, but my words did nothing to ease her worried expression. I slid my hands up to her shoulders, and pulled her into a hug. "I'm here, whatever happens."

* * *

We swiftly got dressed, and headed down to the rehearsal room to meet the others. With a definite sense of apprehension, I pushed open the door and we stepped inside. Cook was the only one present. He was sat on a table across the room, and scowled as we entered hand in hand.

"Cook…" I began uncertainly.

"I _asked_ you, Naomi! I fucking _asked_ you if you were fucking her, and you told me you weren't!"

"I wasn't, _then_" I argued, but then fell silent.

"Yeah?" He asked. "So when did that change?" I hesitated before answering. In reality, we had only been sleeping together for the last three nights, but we had been together for much longer.

"How long, Nai?" Demanded Cook, clearly getting annoyed at my silence. I reasoned that when we actually slept together was irrelevant, and it was none of Cook's business anyway. I dropped Emily's hand and stepped closer to him.

"We've been seeing each other since opening night" I muttered.

Just then the door opened, and a rather enraged looking Katie marched into the room, closely followed by Rob and Jenna.

"Katie…" Before Emily could even form a sentence, I felt the sting of a slap across my face.

"You bitch!" Spat Katie.

"Hey!" Emily dashed forward, and positioned herself between us. She glowered at her sister. "Don't you dare touch her!"

"What the fuck?" Asked Katie with a frown. "Emily, what the fuck is going on? She tried it on with you, right?" There was a pleading note to Katie's voice. Emily didn't say anything, she just stared solemnly at her sister. "Em? What's going on?" Asked Katie again. Emily sighed.

"She's my girlfriend" she said in an almost whisper.

"What!" Snapped Katie.

"_This_ nonsense again?" Asked Jenna, taking a step towards Emily. "I thought we settled this years ago." Emily let out a bitter little laugh.

"We didn't settle anything, _you_ just decided to sweep it under the carpet!" She gave a world weary sigh. "And I _let_ you" she added softly. She took a deep breath, and raised her eyes to meet her mothers. Sensing what was coming, I slipped my hand into Emily's. She gave my fingers a gentle squeeze. "I'm gay, mum" she said firmly. "I always have been, and I always will be. It's not going to go away." Jenna scoffed.

"Of course you're not gay! I'm your mother, I would _know_." Emily rolled her eyes at her mother, but Jenna carried on. "It's this place, bringing it all up again. I _knew_ it was a mistake you coming here. It's full of perverts, and… and _queers_. Thank God we'll be in San Francisco soon!"

Emily took a deep breath, clearly trying to keep her patience.

"Mum, just believe me for once! I'm gay, and I'm in love with Naomi."

"This is fucking stupid!" Snapped Katie. "She's a total slut!" Emily rounded on her sister, ready to defend me to her.

"Don't call her that!"

Cook bounded from the table he was sat on, and moved nearer to the rest of us.

"Let's just all calm down, okay?" He said firmly. I smiled my thanks to him, but he narrowed his eyes at me. "You've still got some explaining to do, Naomi."

"I'll say!" Added Katie. Cook turned to face her.

"So have you! What the fuck's been going on with Freddie?" He asked. In all the commotion, I had completely forgotten that I wanted to know what the hell Katie thought she was doing, apparently conducting little intimate lunch dates with McLair. Katie crossed her arms and sneered at Cook.

"That's none of your fucking business! _She_…" she thrust a finger in my direction. "…Has been filling my sister's head with a load of bullshit!" I could see Cook's anger finally getting to him. He stepped dangerously closer to Katie.

"I don't give a FUCK who's gay and who's straight or whatever!" He roared. "And I don't give a fuck who's sleeping with who, _except_ when it affects our business!"

"Emily's not gay!" Snarled Katie, completely ignoring Cook's point. "She's just stupid!"

"Exactly!" Added Jenna, unhelpfully. Emily let out an exasperated sigh.

"I'm fucking GAY! Okay? I'm a homosexual! I'm a lesbian! I'm a muff-munching, clit-licking dyke! I love tits and fanny, and I love having sex with women, and I… I…" She fell silent, as a deathly hush descended on the room. Everyone stared at Emily, wondering where the sudden outburst had come from. Even Emily herself looked startled at her words. I couldn't help the large grin that spread across my face as I looked at her. I knew that this had been bottled up for a long time - it was about time she let it all out. It was Katie who broke the silence.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me" she said to Emily with a sneer. Emily looked crestfallen, but Katie didn't care. She span on her heels and walked from the room. I felt helpless as I watched her go, knowing that she was breaking her sister's heart.

"Katie…" Emily made to follow her twin, but I caught her arm. She glared at me with confusion.

"You can't go out there, someone will see you both!" I reminded her. She yanked her arm out of my grasp.

"That's all you fucking care about, isn't it? Your fucking magic show!" I stared in stunned silence at her as she too left the room, this time in the direction of their dressing room. I turned back to face the others. Rob looked pensive, but Jenna gave me a smug smile of satisfaction, clearly happy to see Emily snap at me. My anger at how they had treated Emily bubbled over at that look.

"Get the fuck out of my theatre" I said harshly.

"Come on, love" said Rob softly, taking Jenna by the arm. It was the first he had spoken. Jenna followed him dutifully, leaving me and Cook alone together.

"Are you going to storm off now, or should I?" I asked, trying to make light of all the drama. Cook just shook his head sadly.

"This isn't a fucking joke, Naomi! You lied to me." He also headed for the door, making it a grand total of five people that I had caused to storm off in anger. That had to be a new record.

I let him go, while I considered my next move. Everyone was pissed off, and it felt as if our whole group lay in tatters. I had some bridges to mend, and I had to do so quickly. Emily had only gone as far as her dressing room. My first instinct was to follow her there, but I knew that she had just been venting at me. There was nothing irreparable there. Besides, after what she had just gone through, she probably needed some time alone to cool off. That meant Cook or Katie, then. Cook would be the easiest to find – I knew all of his haunts – but the memory of the pain in Emily's eyes as her sister left made the decision for me.

Once I reached the street outside the hotel, I stopped to think about where exactly I should go. Looking for Katie, there was an obvious answer that presented itself: the mall. The only trouble is that Vegas has several large malls, and I didn't know if she had a favourite. There was no point ringing her – she wouldn't answer any call coming from me anyway. I crossed the road, heading towards the closest mall – the Fashion Show mall. There was a 'Tix 4 Tonight' booth outside it, selling half price tickets to a long line of tourists. I saw a familiar face policing the line.

"Hey Theresa" I greeted to one of the many ticket sellers that Cook and I knew. She turned towards me with a big friendly grin. Not wanting to stick around chatting, I cut to the chase. "You seen Katie around?" Theresa smirked at me, and arched an eyebrow.

"Lover's tiff?" She asked, with a knowing nod towards my face. Shit, how many people have seen those photos? I frowned and touched the spot where Katie had slapped me. It must be a bright scarlet by now - that girl is ferocious when she wants to be. "Can't say I blame her!" Said Theresa with a chuckle. "I wouldn't mind giving that Freddie a roll in the sack, myself!" I refrained from pointing out that with Theresa's ample figure, she could probably snap the skinny Freddie in half.

"I need to talk to her" I said, trying my best to look sheepish. She nodded in the direction of the Fashion Show mall.

"She went in there, and she didn't look too happy."

"Thanks." I didn't wait around for any further chit-chat, I just headed after Katie.

* * *

It took some time of trawling in and out of shops, and up and down escalators, but eventually I found her.

"Fuck off, Campbell" was her polite greeting when I approached her.

"Not until you talk to me."

"Gonna try and gay _me_ up now?" She asked nastily. I swallowed down my urge to get sarky with her, reminding myself that I was there for Emily.

"I didn't gay anyone up" I answered as calmly as I could. "And I won't stop following you until you talk to me." Katie threw down the clothes she had selected from the racks, and sulked out of the shop. True to my word, I was hot on her heels.

"Fuck _off_!" She growled as she quickened her pace. I fell into step alongside her.

"You can't ignore this! We all have to work together still!"

"We quit!" Snapped Katie.

"You're still always making her decisions for her!" I barbed back. Katie suddenly ground to a halt and turned towards me.

"You know nothing about her!" She pointed a finger threateningly at me.

"I love her" I said simply. Katie scoffed.

"I'm her sister, you're just a slut!" She was off walking again, and I had to move quickly to keep pace with her.

"Katie just hear me out" I begged. "Please, she's upset." Once again, Katie stopped moving. Thinking that she was crumbling a little, I cast a glance at our surroundings. There was a deserted looking cafe close by. Since Katie seemed unlikely to keep her comments quiet, it seemed better to head to a more secluded spot. I grabbed Katie's arm, and moved over towards it.

"Let go of me, you lezzer bitch!" She shouted. She pulled her arm out of my grasp, but followed me there anyway. I ordered a couple of coffees then led us to the remotest corner of the cafe. I slumped into a seat, and Katie sat down opposite me.

"She's not gay" she said sullenly. I could hear the desperation in her tone, like she thought she could make it true if she just said it enough times.

"Katie you must have known" I said gently, not wanting to rile her up again. "You said yourself that you've never seen her with a man. She told you all years ago that she was gay, that stuff doesn't just go away you know!" Katie shook her head firmly.

"She was just a teenager. She was acting out against mum and dad, she wasn't old enough to know what she wanted." It was Katie that I was talking to, but I felt sure that these were Jenna's words.

"Did you know you were straight at that age?"

"Of course I did! _I'm_ not a lezzer!" The words were out of her mouth before she had processed my meaning. As she took in what I was getting at, her mouth opened into a silent 'oh' and her brow creased into a frown. I pressed home my advantage.

"She's always known, Katie. Long before she met me." Still not ready to concede defeat, Katie rolled her eyes at me. "Could anyone ever persuade you that you're gay?" I asked, a slight smile on my face at the thought of someone trying.

"She just hasn't met the right man yet, you know? Someone who's good in bed." I suppressed a sigh, along with an eye-roll of my own.

"Sexuality isn't only about sex! Katie, if you went to bed with me…" Er, shit! That's not a mental image that I wanted to paint! Katie glared at me, a horrified expression on her face. Hastily, I back-tracked a little. "…Er, I mean if you went to bed with a _woman_, she'd probably be able to make you come, but that wouldn't make you gay."

Katie shrugged and lapsed into silence for a moment.

"She should have told me" she said at last. "Instead of all this secrecy. I shouldn't of found out like _that_." I longed to snipe back that Katie hadn't told any of us about whatever was going on with Freddie, but I didn't. This was about Emily and Katie, not the show.

"She wanted to tell you" I answered instead. "But she didn't know how to. She wasn't sure how you would react." Katie snorted.

"She's a selfish cow."

"What!" I bristled at Katie's statement. Emily had made some mistakes, but one thing that she could never be accused of was being selfish.

"She never thought about me! How this makes _me_ look! Everyone will think it's me in the photo, won't they?"

I wondered if we had perhaps reached the real reason why Katie was so angry about all of this.

"Is that really so bad?" I asked. Katie looked up sharply, clearly set to argue further. I didn't give her a chance. "As far as anyone else knows, it was _one_ kiss on a drunken night out! Plenty of girls do that just to get guys attention." Katie didn't answer, she just stared solemnly down at the table in front of us. "But don't you dare call Emily selfish to me again, okay?" She looked up at me with a frown on her face. God, she really doesn't get it, does she? Time to lay things on the line for her. "Emily's done _everything_ for you. She didn't even want to be a part of the show, did she? But she did it for you. No one even knows that she exists - how the fuck do you think that makes her feel? But she doesn't complain, she just gets on with it – for _you_. It was _your_ idea to come to Vegas. It was _your_ dream to be a showgirl, not Emily's." Katie opened her mouth to say something, but I was on a role and had no intention of stopping. "She was going to come out to you all last year. But when you split up with your fiancé, she didn't want to upset you. She kept it all bottled up, because of _you_." I knew that Emily hadn't wanted me to tell Katie that I knew about this, but I figured that she needed a few home truths about her sister. I kept what I knew about her early menopause to myself though. Katie looked suitably contrite as I finished my little rant. "Is it really so bad that she's gay?" I asked gently. Katie sighed.

"I just want things to be normal for her."

"What's normal?" I asked with a snort. Katie shrugged.

"I don't want her being different, because people will give her a hard time."

"Katie, the only people giving Emily a hard time about this right now are her own family." I rose to my feet, feeling that I had said all I had come to say. Katie could mull things over in her own time. As I walked out of the cafe, she remained sat at that same table, cradling her untouched coffee.

* * *

Once back at the hotel, I headed straight into the theatre. There was no sign of Cook or Emily, so I headed up to Emily's room. As soon as she opened the door, I was enveloped in a huge hug.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it" she whispered into my ear.

"I know, I know" I soothed. "It's okay, I'm here." I walked us backwards into the room, and kicked the door closed.

"I shouldn't have shouted at you like that. You were the only one on my side." I led her over to the bed and sat us both down on it.

"I knew you were just angry."

"God, what a fucking mess, eh?" Emily gave me sad little smile. I stroked my hand gently across her cheek.

"You were amazing" I told her. She looked up at me with a frown. "You were. You gave them the truth, and you didn't let them talk you down."

"I didn't have much choice" she answered. I shook my head gently.

"Yes you did. You know we could have told them that it was just a drunken kiss one night, but you didn't do that. You stood up to them, and you were brilliant." I pressed my lips to Emily's, hoping to convey to her just how proud I was of her. As we broke apart, I was greeted with a smile from her. I was glad to see it back.

"I called you my girlfriend" she said with a nervous laugh.

"Isn't that what I am?" I asked with a shrug. Emily nodded, as she moved closer to kiss me. I knew that I had been the one avoiding any kind of commitment between us, but that all seemed so pointless now. It had all been part of my futile efforts to not fall in love with Emily. Really, it had always been doomed to failure. I didn't want anyone but Emily, and I couldn't see that changing any time soon.

"Are we still going to Freddie's show tonight?" Asked Emily suddenly. In all the confusion, I had completely forgotten that we suspected our rival of poaching some of our act.

"Yeah, if you still want to. But if you don't feel up to it, I could go with…" I stopped before saying Cook's name aloud. I still had a lot of talking to do, before things could be considered okay in that quarter.

"I'll go" said Emily quickly. "It'll take my mind off things. Well, except that I'll keep wondering what the hell is going on between Freddie and Katie."

I nodded. That was definitely something that _I_ wanted to know about.

* * *

**Hmm, what kind of game is Katie up to? **

**Let me know what you think!**


	24. True Colors

**As ever, thanks so much for the reviews. And to the anonymous reviewer who passed comment on my line about San Francisco: thanks, I was quite pleased with that one!**

**Of all the Skins characters, none seems to split people more than Katie Fitch. Some see her as a slutty, self-centered bitch, whilst others see her as a fiercely loyal, forthright tigress. Despite the way I have written her reaction to Emily so far, I am firmly in the latter camp. It's time for Katie to take some steps back towards awesomeness.**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Four: True Colors

Emily

Well, I've had better days. Unexpectedly coming out to my family had not exactly gone smoothly. Why did my mother have to be so predictably bigoted? It didn't matter in the slightest to her that I've found someone that makes me happy – because that someone is a woman. But really, I had been braced for such a reaction from her. Much more disappointing were Dad and Katie's reactions. Dad didn't even say a single word, he just stood there stupidly while Mum raged at me. And Katie? Deep down, I had always hoped that I would have her support whenever it all came out. Watching her storm out of the room – and hearing that I couldn't follow after her – absolutely crushed me.

That was why I snapped at Naomi, even though I regretted it almost straight away. I felt so guilty for turning on her, when she was the one person on my side. But when we're angry and upset, we don't always make the smart decisions. I had plenty of time to reflect on it though, left alone with my thoughts all morning, desperately re-living what had happened between me and my family. When Naomi eventually turned up at my room, I was so relieved that I just grabbed hold of her and didn't want to let her go.

None of my family came looking for me. I spent the rest of the day in my room with Naomi, both of us talking endless amounts of nothing, anxiously avoiding any mention of the mess that this morning's events had created. We only parted company into the evening, in order to get ready for seeing Freddie's show.

One good thing to come from recent events was that things between Naomi and I suddenly seemed official. As we headed to Freddie's show, we strolled through the hotel casino hand in hand, not caring who saw us together. Admittedly, we had previously been rather unguarded before when in gay clubs – we had wrongly assumed that no-one there would care who we were – but now we could be openly affectionate wherever we were. It was true that everyone still believed that I was Katie, but after her reaction earlier, I didn't care what assumptions people would make about her.

Our moment was almost sullied when we ran into mum dad and James. Mum was desperately feeding dollar bills into a slot machine, whilst dad stood looking bored beside her. James was watching the scantily clad bar-maids walking about the casino floor. We were upon them before we had a chance to spot them and change our direction. On seeing us, James gave us a massive grin.

"Hey, what's this I hear about you being a muff monkey?" He asked loudly. Mum tore her eyes briefly away from her slot machine to throw a filthy look at Naomi. I muttered a response to James that what he had heard was correct. He turned his smile towards Naomi. "No wonder you wouldn't shag me!" Naomi rolled her eyes at him, but then returned his smile. He was after all, the only Fitch so far to react in a positive way to my little announcement. "Well, you've got great taste in women sis!" He informed me confidently. Mum snorted, but didn't raise her eyes from her machine. Dad placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Where are you two ladies off to tonight?" He asked softly.

"To see McLair's show" I answered. "We think he's stolen some of our act and we need to be sure."

"Well that'll be nice then."

I smiled at my father. Small talk was really not one of his fortes, but he was obviously making the effort. We stood there a moment longer, the awkward silence only broken by the electronic noises as mum continued to feed money into her one-armed bandit.

"See you then" I said, as we turned to go. Dad and James both said goodbye, but mum continued to pretend that we didn't even exist. With an exasperated sigh, Naomi and I walked away.

"You're mother's so lovely" said Naomi with sarcasm.

* * *

After seeing Freddie's show, we tried our best to leave the theatre as quickly as possible. He had indeed stolen a routine from our show, which just gave us one more reason to avoid him. But before we had taken too many steps, JJ accosted us, probably under instructions from Freddie to keep us there until Freddie himself could reach us.

"Well ladies!" He said, giving us a nervous smile. "It's lovely to see you here. Did you enjoy the show?"

"Well I liked the bits that you stole from us!" Huffed Naomi. I tugged nervously at her arm, not wanting to see McLair at all. JJ blinked rapidly, uncomfortable at Naomi's directness.

"Well, we er… The Mystic Cauldron is an old trick that…"

"You're a bunch of fucking thieves!" Snapped Naomi, unable to contain her anger. She continued to argue with JJ, and I felt a sinking feeling that we were playing right into Freddie's hands. I really had no wish to see him – it seemed that he was closer to Katie than any of us had originally known, and I felt sure that too much time in his company could lead him to the truth about me.

Eventually, I managed to drag a still grumbling Naomi out of the theatre.

"We don't want to see Freddie!" I reminded her. She shrugged.

"Maybe you could find out what's going on between him and Katie" she suggested. I let out a little laugh.

"Yeah, just say 'sorry Freddie, I can't remember what happened between us, can you tell me?'"

"I guess you're right" said Naomi with a grin. "Although it might not be that suspicious to him. Women who sleep with him probably _want_ to forget!" I chuckled at the thought, before sighing.

"Do you think she slept with him?" I asked. Naomi frowned.

"I'm not sure _what_ you're sister's been up to." There was a hardness to her voice that I didn't like the sound of. I longed to ask if Naomi suspected Katie of giving our secrets away, but I didn't want to hear her answer.

* * *

The next morning, Naomi and I had just finished getting dressed in my room, when there was a knock at the door. I opened it to reveal a rather contrite looking Katie. She stepped into the room, then seemed to hesitate when she saw Naomi.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked. "Alone" she added, with a glance in Naomi's direction. Naomi crossed her arms and stared challengingly at my sister.

"I'll do whatever Emily wants" she said firmly. I smiled softly at her.

"Let me talk to her. We'll meet you down in the rehearsal room."

As the door closed behind Naomi, I turned to face Katie. I was ready to apologise to her – though I was going to make it plain that I was apologising for my secrecy, not for being gay – but Katie beat me to it.

"I'm sorry" she said with a shrug. "I shouldn't have said what I did." I nodded, as I wondered how far reaching this apology was. Was she ready to accept that I'm gay, or was this another tactic to get me to see 'sense'?

"I should have told you sooner" I ventured.

"Yeah, you should of!" Snapped Katie, before appearing to regret her reaction. She sank with a sigh onto my bed. "But I guess I never made it easy for you" she added. I sat down next to her, turning slightly to face her.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you with it" I told her.

"So you've always been...?" I nodded, answering her unasked question. "I wondered why you were single for so long."

"I wasn't always single. You remember my friend Jenny?"

Katie's eyes went wide as she remembered something at the mention of my ex girlfriend.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you - Jenny's a total lezzer! I saw her in Bristol before we left, totally snogging the face off some…" Katie's sentence trailed away as she realised what she was saying. "…Oh. You weren't just friends, were you?"

"No" I answered simply. Katie mulled over the implication of my words for a moment.

"Well, she's traded down" she said at last. "You're way prettier than the girl I saw her with." I chuckled at the re-emergence of Katie's unswerving loyalty to me.

"I think I've traded _up_" I told her, my mind lingering on a certain blue-eyed blonde that had been occupying my time lately. Katie rolled her eyes at me.

"Seriously? Em, she's a slut!"

"No she's not!" I said firmly.

"Come on, do you know how many people she's shagged while she's been in Vegas?" She asked. I took a deep breath as I wondered if Katie could possibly be able to alter her opinion of Naomi.

"Just one. She's only slept with _me_ since she got here."

Katie laughed scornfully.

"Is that what she told you? God, you're so naïve sometimes, Em!" I really wasn't sure how to convince Katie otherwise. I knew that what Naomi had told me was the truth, but how was I to explain that to my sister?

"I know that she was telling the truth" I insisted. "We took things really slowly, because that's what Naomi wanted." Seeing Katie hesitate, I added more. "She loves me Katie, I know she does."

"Yeah, that's what she said yesterday" muttered Katie, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"Yesterday?"

"Yeah. She followed me into the mall and wouldn't fuck off until I'd listened to her." I stared at my sister. This was news to me – Naomi hadn't told me anything about speaking to Katie yesterday.

"What did she say?" I asked, trying to keep my anxiety out of my voice. Katie shrugged.

"You know: that she loves you, and that you were gay long before she got to you."

"Well that's true."

"She said that I must have known" said Katie quietly. "Maybe I did. I suppose I didn't want to let myself believe it." There was so much regret in her voice that I didn't hesitate to wrap my arms around her. She immediately responded to the hug, gripping on to me firmly. I knew that it may still take her a while to come around to my being with Naomi, but at least she was making the effort.

Happy that our relationship felt back on track, I couldn't resist the urge to dig a little.

"What's going on between you and Freddie?" I asked.

"Nothing" she answered, but she wouldn't meet my gaze.

"Katie!"

"It's not what you think!" She argued.

"Are you fucking him?" I asked, determined not to let her off the hook easily.

"No!" snapped Katie, but her eyes still wouldn't meet mine. "Listen, it's over, alright?"

"What's over?" A moment ago, Katie said there was nothing going on, now she was claiming it was over. How exactly could 'nothing' be over? Katie shook her head.

"Nothing. I told you – he was interested in me, but nothing happened." I couldn't shake the feeling that Katie still wasn't telling me everything.

"Katie, he's stolen another one of our tricks! Then all of sudden, there's a picture of you having a cosy little chin-wag with him!"

"I didn't tell him anything, Em! I swear, we've met up a couple of times, but I never told him anything about the show!" This time, Katie did look me in the eye, and I had to admit that she seemed pretty definite. "Which trick did he nick?"

I explained to Katie about seeing Freddie's show the night before. The trick he had taken was a one we were all pretty happy with. A huge, cast iron caldron was brought on stage and shown to be empty and solid. Then it was placed over a fire. Water was poured into the caldron, and after a few moments, steam billowed out. Then Naomi reached into the caldron, and brought out a succession of production silks, all of which were dry. Then she plunged her hand in one more time. When she brought her hand back out, she was holding Katie's hand. She then helped Katie to climb out of the caldron. Freddie performed it almost exactly the same, but after helping Effy from the pot, he immediately reached back in and produced another woman. It seemed like such a blatant attempt at 'one-upmanship'.

"He's never asked me about it" said Katie, after I finished my description. "But even if he had, I wouldn't tell him anything about the show."

"Katie, I want you to be careful" I said gently. "I don't know what you're up to, but if it carries on, someone's going to get hurt." Katie gave a snort.

"Don't worry about _me_ getting hurt!"

Try as I might, I couldn't get her to elaborate any more on whatever she was doing. I was concerned for her. It wasn't just hyperbole, I really did have the feeling deep in my gut that someone was going to get hurt. I just prayed that it wouldn't be Katie.

"Why don't you go join your girlfriend" she said, drawing a line under the conversation. "I'll stay in today."

I did as she suggested. Our first day back to work after our day off was always spent promoting the show, instead of rehearsing. Cook, Naomi and either myself or Katie would go out and pound the pavements, speaking to promoters, keeping the show in people's minds. Ticket sales had been doing well, but Naomi and Cook insisted that our efforts were necessary in order to maintain that level.

As I walked into the rehearsal room, I greeted Naomi with a smile.

"You never told me you spoke to Katie yesterday" I said, as I slid my arms around her waist.

"I didn't think I did any good."

"Well you did. She just apologised, and I think she's starting to accept it." Naomi smiled at me, but it then quickly turned to a frown. I guessed what was coming next.

"Did she tell you what's going on with Freddie?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No, I couldn't get it out of her." I was exasperated with Katie for keeping us all guessing, but I still felt the need to defend her to Naomi. "She said she didn't say anything to him about the show" I insisted. Naomi sighed.

"Well, she's playing with fire, whatever she's doing." I could hardly argue with that. "But it's an old trick. Freddie and JJ wouldn't need to have inside information to find out about it." As Naomi's expression darkened further, I suddenly realised that Cook should be with us.

"No Cook?" I asked gently.

"No, and his phone's switched off" said Naomi, sullenly.

"Have you seen him since yesterday?" Naomi just shook her head.

* * *

We hardly saw Cook over the next couple of days. He only turned up for our shows, and even then he cut it fine. He kept a business-like manner, only discussing things to do with the show, then disappeared as soon as it was over. Katie and I weren't exactly in his good books, but Naomi bore the brunt of his resentment. I kept a careful eye on her to see how it affected her. It clearly took a toll, leaving her exasperated as her efforts to speak to Cook fell on stony ground. Whatever overtures of friendship she made, he shut them down, not even meeting her part way.

I barely saw anything of my parents, either. In mum's case, it was obvious that she was avoiding me. With dad, I assumed that he was just going along with whatever she said, as per normal. It angered me that he could never make his own decisions about things. But at least things were better between me and Katie. She was even trying to make a real effort to accept Naomi as my girlfriend, too – even warning her not to hurt me.

Soon, it was time for mum, dad and James to leave Vegas. Their visit had seemed particularly brief, although I had hardly seen them for most of it. On their final day, they came into the rehearsal room to bid us all goodbye. Mum looked stony-faced, and wouldn't look directly at Naomi at all.

"So have you decided to stop this silliness?" She asked me. I just shrugged.

"I'm still gay, if that's what you mean." Mum actually flinched when I said the word 'gay'.

"That's ridiculous!" She said with a snort. "How can you even know that, when you've never given a proper try to men?"

I opened my mouth to argue, but Katie beat me to it.

"God, mother! Sexuality isn't just about sex you know!" I stared at Katie, wondering where such a sentiment had come from. I glanced across at Naomi, who gave me a little grin. I guess that's one of the things Naomi said to Katie, then. Katie was now in full flow against our mother. "Naomi makes her happy. Isn't that what you want for her? For _us_? Someone who makes us happy?" Mum gasped in shock at Katie.

"Katie! Not you too? What is this place doing to you all?"

"That's not what I meant" said Katie with a sigh.

"What's the collective term for lesbians?" Mused James aloud to no-one in particular.

"I'm not gay" said Katie through gritted teeth. "But I don't care that Emily is. I'd rather see her happy."

"Hear, hear."

All eyes turned in shock as my father finally spoke out.

"Rob!" Said mum, in a tone that showed that she thought dad was 'disobeying' her.

"Well our Katiekins is right, isn't she?" He turned to face Naomi. "You seem like a lovely girl Naomi, and if you make my girl happy, then that's okay by me." A broad grin spread across my face at my dad's words. As one, Katie and I threw ourselves into his arms for a proper Fitch hug. "Mind you" he continued over my shoulder, still talking to Naomi. "I would say it to any fella, so I'll say it to you: if you hurt her, I'll hunt you down like a dog." I glanced across at Naomi and saw that although she looked a little stunned, she nodded at my father's words.

"Robert, we're leaving" sniffed mum. Reluctantly, dad let go his hold on Katie and I and checked his watch.

"I'm afraid we do have to go now, girls." He pulled us both back in for one more hug, before offering his hand to Naomi. She shook it gingerly. "Take care, now" he said to the three of us. "And say goodbye to Cook for me." We nodded. James stepped closer, and hugged first Katie and then me. I was surprised by his sudden display of affection, until I saw him turn with open arms towards Naomi. Before she had chance to protest, James hugged her too.

"Don't you dare grope my girlfriend!" I warned him with a grin.

"As if I would!" He protested, as he relinquished his hold on her. "But I can see why you like her. She's got a cracking pair of tits!"

* * *

**So the other Fitches have gone for now, but they will return. **

**Incidentally, the 'Mystic Cauldron' is a real trick, that used to be performed by Chung Ling Soo about 100 years ago, and it is even older than that. The steam was generated from a boiler in the basement of the theatre, and pumped up the sides of the cauldron. Soo's wife, who was produced from the cauldron, would regularly get burned on her hands and arms by the blasts of steam. **

**I definitely see our troup using a safe version, though! Perhaps with a controlled release of dry ice, instead of steam. **


	25. Everybody Hurts

**It's been a little while, but here we go with chapter 25.**

**Seems like ages ago now, but this chapter is named in honour of one of my favourite bands announcing that they have decided to call it a day and go their separate ways.**

**This chapter goes out to rosswellmorgana, who currently has a cold. I hope you're feeling better soon!**

**Hope you enjoy**

**Myrtle**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Five: Everybody Hurts

Naomi

When I stepped into the elevator heading down to the rehearsal room, Katie was already in there.

"I thought you would have waited and come down with Emily" she told me.

"We're not joined at the hip, you know" I answered, a little snappier than I intended.

"Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist."

I sighed, and grumbled an apology. It wasn't Katie's fault that I was feeling a little guilty. I had spent the previous night alone in my own room, as I was beginning to feel a bit stifled by spending so much time with Emily. It's not that I don't love her – of course I do. But lately, things have just been snowballing, and suddenly I've found myself in a real, committed relationship. One thing has quickly followed another, and it's all just getting a bit much for me.

"How's she doing since mum and dad left?" Asked Katie, adding to my feelings of guilt. Emily had been through quite an ordeal in the last couple of days – I should be helping her through it, instead of pulling away from her.

"She _seems_ okay" I answered, thoughtfully. "Maybe a bit _too_ okay. She's been a bit hyper – like she's on speed or something." Emily had been elated since coming out to her family. It wasn't what I expected from her at all. True, three out of four of them had accepted it readily, but her mother was a different story altogether. She had refused to even entertain the idea that Emily is gay. I felt sure that sooner or later, her rejection would hit Emily with full force.

"Well, we'll keep an eye on her" said Katie firmly.

As the two of us made our way through the casino, an all too familiar voice came from behind us.

"I might have known you two would be together." We stopped abruptly, and span around to face Justin. "Still claiming to be straight?" He asked Katie, whilst brandishing a magazine. It was a different magazine to the one Cook had found, but it also had those now infamous pictures of me and Emily, and Katie and Freddie. No wonder so many people seem to have seen those pictures – more than one magazine has printed them. Katie cast a quick glance at me, making me wonder what her reaction was going to be. Justin turned his steady gaze towards me. "You're making a fool of yourself" he told me, a sneer creeping onto his lips. "Fucking around with some attention-seeking slut." He shook his head, looking for all the world like a disappointed parent. "The sooner you come to your senses, the better." Unsure what to say, I just stared down at my feet.

"_That_ was just a business meeting!" Snapped Katie, pointing at the photo of her and Freddie. "Naomi knows that. She knows that I'm in love with her." Katie thrust her arm through mine, pulling me roughly towards her. I looked up in shock at her words, as our shoulders bumped together. I actually had to bite my lip to stop an exclamation from escaping.

"You told me you were straight" said Justin smoothly.

"Yeah? Well that was before I realised that I like boobs so much, and… and… you know, licking fannies and stuff."

Somehow, I managed to disguise my snort of laughter as a cough. I felt it prudent to weigh in and rescue Katie, before she gave the game away completely.

"Was there something you wanted Justin? Because we're very busy." I asked sharply.

"Yeah!" Added Katie. She unhooked her arm from mine, and instead slid it around my waist. "We've got lots of multiple orgasms to give each other, so you can pretty much fuck off now." Without giving Justin a chance to answer, Katie turned and walked away, dragging me alongside her. Feeling rather awkward, I slid my arm across her shoulders.

Once we were safely out of sight, we broke apart rapidly.

"What the fuck was that?" I asked Katie, as a huge grin spread across my face.

"Why do you let him speak to you like that?" She asked with a frown. I shrugged, and felt my grin slide off my face. "It's like he thinks he owns you, or something!" I hadn't even realised that I'd let Justin speak to me the same way that he always had done. I guess I still have some old habits to break when it comes to my ex.

"Thanks for that" I told Katie, suddenly realising how uncomfortable that must have made her.

"I'm not making a habit of it" she insisted. "I just didn't like the way that smug bastard was talking to you." Her words left me taken aback. I had assumed that her actions were purely to keep the twins cover intact, but she had also been sticking up for me. It was a nice, albeit unfamiliar, realisation.

"Thanks" I said again, with a small smile. Then I chuckled as I thought back over what Katie had said to Justin. "But for the record: most lesbians don't walk around telling people that they like licking fannies!" Katie chuckled as well.

"Well how would I know what lesbians do?" She asked.

We were still giggling as we entered the rehearsal room. As we walked through the door, our laughter stopped abruptly as a strange noise reached our ears. A grunting and knocking sound seemed to be suddenly stifled. Katie and I frowned at each other, because the room looked otherwise empty.

"Hello?" I called nervously, stepping cautiously into the room. Another muffled sound was the only response. For some reason, it seemed to be coming from a cupboard at the other side of the room. I crept nearer, not sure what I was about to confront. I glanced around the room, looking for anything that could serve as a makeshift weapon.

Before I could react any further, the cupboard doors flew open. Cook and Effy tumbled out together and hit the floor with a thud. Once my initial shock subsided, I marched towards them and glowered down at a very sheepish looking Cook.

"I know how this looks…" he began, with an idiotic grin.

"What the FUCK Cook?" I yelled. He was right about how it looked. With their dishevelled clothing, and Effy's smeared lipstick, there could only be one possible interpretation of the scene in front of me - Cook had been banging Effy for all he was worth, right here in our rehearsal room.

As I glared at them, Effy hoisted herself off Cook, and rose to her feet. She nonchalantly rearranged what little clothing she had on. Once sorted, she strolled casually from the room with a smirk on her face. Katie and I gaped at each other, each too startled to say a word as Effy left.

"Naomikins, listen…" said Cook as he climbed slowly to his feet.

"You fucking IDIOT, Cook!" I roared at him, before realising that he hadn't yet adjusted his own clothes. I turned my back on him. "And put your fucking dick away!" I insisted. To my horror, Cook just laughed.

"Ain't nothing you haven't seen before" he answered. I heard the sound of a zipper sliding. "The monster's back in his cage, okay?" I turned back to face him.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I demanded. "What if Emily had been here?" Cook grinned at me.

"She could've joined in. She could do with seeing more cock." I felt my temper bubbling over, but it was Katie who was quicker to react.

"That's my sister you're talking about!" She bellowed, giving Cook a slap around the face. I winced – I could still remember what a slap from Katie felt like. Cook simply laughed at Katie's reaction.

"Effy could have seen the two of them together!" I yelled at Cook, though I knew that he hadn't mistaken my meaning. "Of all the places you could have shagged her, you had to do it _here_?" Cook just shrugged, and looked for all the world like he didn't give a shit. The thought occurred to me that his choice of location was not accidental. Perhaps he wanted me to catch the two of them together. I tried to get him to see sense. "You know Effy's just using you to find out our secrets, right?"

"No, actually" snapped Cook, suddenly getting angry. "She was using me to get back at Freddie for whatever's going on with Katie!" He jabbed an accusing finger in Katie's direction.

"Great! That's a healthy relationship!" I shouted. "What the fuck is wrong with you? This is the woman that broke you're heart!" Cook moved closer, until he was practically nose to nose with me. There was cold fury in his eyes.

"It wasn't _Effy_ that broke my heart Naomi. Don't you get that? It was Freddie. He broke my heart when he broke up our partnership, and you…" He sighed, and his anger seemed to leave his body along with the breath. "Just forget it" he muttered. He shook his head, and stomped out of the room without another word.

I was left dumbfounded behind him. I suddenly realised why he had been so pissed off over my relationship with Emily. To him, it must all seem like déjà vu: a secret relationship that could rip our whole group apart.

"God, I've really fucked up" said Katie sadly. I shook my head.

"No, it's not you that he's angry with, it's me" I told her firmly. "Look, there's no point rehearsing today. I've got to try and fix things with Cook."

"Sure, I'll tell Emily. I'll see you tonight?" I nodded. I really hoped that Cook hadn't gone off the rails completely, and that we still had a show to perform. But more than that, I just hoped that I hadn't lost my best friend.

* * *

Two hours later, and I was convinced that Cook was indeed lost. Or at least not wanting to be found by me. I had scoured all of his usual haunts, and found no sign of him. Despite the fact that it was still morning, I had been in more bars than I cared to count. Most of his favourite strip joints weren't open until later, which was a small mercy. I didn't fancy trailing round places like that at the best of times, but I didn't want to think about what sort of people would be there in the middle of the morning.

I was almost out of ideas. I decided to try the observation level at The Stratosphere, before throwing in the towel. I had once found Cook sulking at the top of the Empire State Building when we were in New York. He told me that when he had things on his mind, he liked to go somewhere high to make his problems seem small. Since The Stratosphere was the tallest freestanding observation tower in the US, it was worth a look.

After a long, and irritatingly noisy journey on 'The Deuce' – the bus that travels the length of The Strip, and takes the length of an ice-age to do so – I finally reached my destination. I paid for a ticket to the observation level, and took the elevator straight there.

I saw him as soon as I stepped out onto the floor. He was over by one of the floor to ceiling windows, sat forlornly on the ground. I stepped quietly over and sat down next to him. Cook didn't acknowledge my presence. I gazed out over the Vegas skyline. You can see practically the whole length of The Strip from here, and the view is amazing.

"Alright?" I asked, lightly. Cook shrugged. I bit my lip while I thought about what I wanted to say. "I'm sorry." I couldn't take back what I'd done, so that seemed like the best place to start. An incline of the head was the only sign that Cook had even heard me. "I should have told you about me and Emily."

"Would've been nice" he answered, softly. After a deep breath, he continued. "I knew you had the hots for Red from the start. Figured you would probably just fuck her and move on, like you usually do." I had always just let Cook believe that I was as promiscuous as I appeared to be. I didn't really feel like setting _that_ record straight as well right now. Instead I shrugged.

"I wasn't looking for something serious" I confessed. "Not after all the crap I got from Justin. It scared the living shit out of me, if I'm honest, how Emily makes me feel. I think that's why I didn't tell you. I didn't want it to be real."

"But you're all loved up now though, aren't you?" Asked Cook.

"Yeah, I suppose so."

Cook frowned.

"Trouble in paradise?"

I let a sigh escape.

"No. _No_." I said firmly. Cook continued to stare at me, as though he wasn't convinced. "It's not that. It's just… it's like she's snuck up on me. I was trying so hard not to fall for her, but in the end I couldn't help it. And now I'm in a whole fucking relationship, which I told myself I'd never do again. I've had her dad warning me not to hurt her. Christ, even Katie warned me not to hurt her! How can I promise them that, when I don't even know what I'm doing?" Cook just gave me a bemused smile, as my little ramble drew to a halt. I guess I wasn't really expecting much, talking to Cook about relationships.

"Well, the little muff monkey's got it bad for you."

I chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. So have I." But I wasn't just here to talk about Emily. "But I'm not going anywhere, Cook. I love her, but I love you too. Our partnership means _everything_ to me."

Cook arched an eyebrow at me, and his usual broad grin was back on his face.

"Yeah? Then how about a threesome, eh? Show you girls what you're missing out on."

"Fuck off." I punched his arm, but only half-heartedly. Cook wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into a lopsided hug. "I mean it" I insisted. "I couldn't have done any of this without you, and I won't forget that. You and me – we come as a package. End of." Cook pressed a kiss to my temple, and hugged me even more firmly.

"Yeah, Blondie. You've got the face, I've got the brains."

"God help us" I giggled.

"Come on" said Cook suddenly, rising to his feet. He offered me a hand, then hauled me to my feet. "Time for X-Scream." Cook was off and walking towards the elevators before I had even processed his words.

"What? No! Cook, no way!" I chased after him, arguing against it, but I could see that his mind was made up. "Cook, there's no way you're getting me on that thing!"

X-Scream is one of The Stratosphere's thrill rides at the top of the tower. You are strapped in much like a rollercoaster, but there are no twists and turns on this ride. It simply propels you head first over the edge of the tower, and dangles you precariously, nearly nine hundred feet above The Strip. You're looking right down at the ground, with nothing but some metal, and some engineering to combat gravity. Not a prospect that I fancied.

As we headed towards the rides, I continued to inform Cook that there was no way I was getting on that ride. I love The Strip, but I have no wish to see it hurtling towards me! Cook didn't even seem to hear my remonstrations. As he paid for two tickets, I realised that he was serious.

"Cook!" I said in alarm.

"Naomikins, it's just a ride, it's perfectly safe." He turned to face me with an earnest expression. "It's about trust. Okay?" Fuck! I could see that he was talking about more than just trusting the engineering. Is he really going to place the future of our friendship on this? On a fucking thrill-ride? But then this is Cook we're talking about, so anything is possible. Reluctantly, I found myself nodding. Perhaps by going on this ride, I might prove that I have no intention of breaking up our partnership. Cook's logic is really fucked up that way.

With a joyous laugh, Cook climbed into the ride's carriage. Slowly, I climbed in beside him. I felt my heart rate getting quicker and quicker as we were strapped into our seats. I gripped the handrail in front of me convulsively as we began to move, but Cook threw his arms high in the air. I scrunched my eyes tight shut, vowing to keep them that way until it was over. But as I felt myself falling forwards, I had to chance a peek. The view was breath-taking, but I was too busy trying to stop myself from having a heart attack to enjoy it. Cook whooped and cheered beside me in delight, as the ride continued to thrust us back and forth over the edge of the tower.

Thankfully, it was a pretty short ride. After a couple more 'dangles', I was able to clamber out of the carriage on very shaky legs.

"That was great!" Bellowed Cook, at full decibel level. I simply nodded, not sure that I would be speaking again any time soon. "Come on Naomi, that was a real rush!" He laughed. It was certainly that, but I think I'll stick to getting my adrenalin fix by being on stage in future.

* * *

Much later, Cook and I ambled into the theatre to get ready for the evening show. We had spent the rest of the day together, just hanging out like we always used to. I had enjoyed it, and it felt as if we had really done some proper repairs on our relationship.

Katie and Emily walked up to us as soon as they saw us.

"Is everything okay?" Asked Emily. Cook and I exchanged grins.

"Yes Emilio, everything is fine" answered Cook. He crooked his finger at Emily, beckoning her towards him. As she moved nearer, Cook put an arm around her shoulders. "You two have my blessing. I'm happy for you both."

"Er, thanks Cook" muttered Emily. She cast a smirk at me, as if to ask 'did we need his blessing?' Cook wasn't finished. He leaned closer, as though preparing to share a great secret. "But don't you ever hurt my best mate, okay? 'Cause if you do, you'll have me to deal with. Is that clear?" Emily looked stunned at Cook's words, but she nodded seriously. My grin grew as I watched them. Emily's family had warned me not to hurt her, and now the only person that I considered to be my family had done the same for me.

* * *

**Ah, feel the Cookie love everyone! Ew, just not in the way that Effy did!**

**I've got to confess that although I've been to the observation floor of The Stratosphere, I've never been on any of the rides up there. Even though I've just 'done' Orlando, I'm not really a one for white knuckle thrill rides. I love all the simulator rides, but they are about my limit!**


	26. You Keep It All In

**I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated this fic! I've just really been enjoying writing Capes and Capers lately. And I've been blown away by the response to that, which is always encouraging!**

**I heard the other day that the British magician Paul Daniels cut off one and a bit of his fingers in an accident with a buzz saw on New Year's Day. They have re-attached his index finger, but the tip of his ring finger has been sliced off.**

**I know he is like Marmite - people either love him or they hate him - but he is a very talented performer, and one of the reasons that I got into magic in the first place. I wish him well, and hope it's not the end of his career. I know that he's incredibly determined, so I don't think it will be.**

**But enough of that: on with the chapter. It picks up on the same day that the last one ended - the same day that Cook shagged Effy in the cupboard. Ooh, that sounded ruder than it meant to...**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Six: You Keep It All In

Emily

Naomi and Cook left it late before arriving at the theatre to get ready for the show. Katie and I were beginning to get worried, as we hadn't heard from either of them all day. We weren't even sure if Cook was going to show up at all, after the activities of the morning. So I was a little surprised when the two of them finally strolled in like nothing was wrong, and giggling stupidly at their own in-jokes. I felt a bit peeved at first – I mean, how long does it take to send a quick text letting us know they were okay? But that soon ebbed away as I realised that they really seemed to have settled their differences.

After the show, the four of us collected together backstage.

"So everything's good now is it?" Asked Katie, looking between Naomi and Cook. They both grinned back at her.

"Yep, it certainly is" said Cook.

"And what exactly were you doing with Effy this morning?" Pressed Katie, not being one to let a subject drop. Cook gave her a chagrined smile.

"Er… I was just pumping her for information." Katie rolled her eyes at him.

"So that's how it's done" she answered, dryly. "And is that to be a regular occurrence, you bringing her to our rehearsal room?" Cook smirked at her.

"Why, do you fancy making it a threesome? I'm sure Effy would be up for that! I hear you've got a thing for licking fannies now." Katie shoved him playfully.

"Fuck off. Even if I did, I wouldn't touch Effy – not after seeing you play 'hide the magic wand' with her."

With a frustrated growl, Naomi interrupted their banter.

"Okay, we have a new rule" she said firmly. "Could everyone _please_ stop screwing the rival magicians!" Katie and Cook fell silent instantly, both looking rather subdued. It crossed my mind that Katie should have argued that she _hadn't_ slept with a rival magician, but she was unusually tight-lipped on that point. Not wanting Naomi to notice that – and feeling that the atmosphere had grown suddenly very tense – I spoke up.

"So does this mean I have to stop screwing JJ?" I asked. I was relieved to see everyone dissolve into a fit of giggles.

"That mong?" Asked Katie. "He's got even worse dress sense than Naomi!"

"Hey!"

Katie turned and smiled sweetly at Naomi.

"Sorry, but it's true. You look like you get dressed in the dark, and he looks like his mum buys all his clothes."

"Enough of this shit" said Cook, stepping between the two of them and wrapping an arm around Naomi's shoulders. "Let's go out and get fucking mental!"

I cast a quick look in Naomi's direction, and saw that she was staring at me apologetically. We had planned to have a quiet night in together, but that seemed to have been forgotten.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled to me. "I said I'd go out with Cook tonight. We haven't been out together just the two of us for ages." I knew that Cook and Naomi's friendship was probably still in need of some repair work, but that didn't stop the flash of jealousy that streaked through me at her words. "Come with us if you like?" She added, clearly as an afterthought. I hadn't missed the fact that she had said 'just the two of us', initially. I shrugged, and tried to look casual about it.

"No, I'm feeling tired. I'll just stay in tonight." Naomi continued to stare at me, as though trying to gauge if I was really okay with it.

"Katie, what about you then?" Asked Cook, oblivious to mine and Naomi's silent staring. Katie shook her head.

"Nah, I fancy some twin-time tonight." A huge grin stretched across Cook's face.

"To hell with a night out, I'd rather watch that!" Naomi tore her eyes away from mine, to give Cook a slap across his arm.

"They won't be doing what _you're_ thinking!" She told him forcibly. "Come on, we'd better get going" she added. Cook strolled for the door, as Naomi stepped closer to me.

"I'd rather not watch you lezzers say goodbye" said Katie with a dramatic sigh. "Emily, I'll be in my room, okay?" I nodded at Katie, before she headed for the door.

Once we were alone, Naomi slid her arms around my waist.

"I'll make it up to you" she said.

"You'd better" I answered with a mock pout. Naomi nodded, before leaning closer. She pressed her lips rather hurriedly to mine, before pulling away swiftly.

"I'd better get going. I might call in on you later?"

Great, so I've got a drunk – and knowing how much she tends to drink with Cook, probably incomprehensible - Naomi to look forward to later tonight. But in the plus column, she does get _very_ horny and rather passionate after a few drinks.

"Okay" I answered with a smile. "But if I'm not there, then you know I've just crashed in Katie's room." I didn't want her thinking that I was just pining for her return, now did I?

* * *

Later, Katie and I were lounging on the bed in my room, sharing a bottle of Vodka. We had ended up in my room, because I was the only one of the two of us to have any alcohol other than the exorbitantly priced mini-bar. We would have rather spent the evening at a bar, but spending time together in public just wasn't a possibility.

"So how are things going with you and Campbell?" Asked Katie, eyeing me closely.

"Great" I answered with a shrug, studiously avoiding her gaze. There was no fooling my sister.

"Really?" She pressed. I sighed.

"I don't know. She's opened up so much to me, but sometimes she still just seems so distant." I had noticed that Naomi hadn't been as ready to spend time with me over the past few days, and it pained me. Her decision to go out with Cook tonight particularly rankled, because we hadn't spent that many nights alone together recently.

"Maybe she still has some stuff to sort out with her husband" said Katie, gently. Well that's an understatement. Naomi has more baggage to deal with than Carrie Bradshaw's personal shopper. I couldn't stop a frown from crossing my face at the mention of Justin. "What's the deal with him anyway?" Asked Katie. "He talks to her like she's an idiot, and she just lets him!"

"They got married when she was really young" I explained, not sure how much of Naomi's history she would be comfortable with me sharing. "He treated her like shit for years, and made her feel worthless."

"Well, I can see why she left him. We bumped into him this morning. He called me a slut, can you believe that?" She asked, indignantly. "He'd seen those pictures, so he thought we were a couple. I went along with it, just to wipe the smug smile off his face."

A memory of something Cook had said earlier stirred in my brain.

"Is that why Cook said you like licking fannies now?" Katie rolled her eyes at the mention of Cook.

"I was only pretending to be a dyke!" She insisted. "Naomi said I wasn't very convincing, anyway. Which I take to be a compliment, actually." As Katie realised what she had said, her expression fell. "Not that there's anything wrong with being a dyke" she added hastily. I chuckled at her sudden about-turn, and reassured her that I wasn't offended. "What do lesbians do, anyway?" She asked suddenly. "I mean in bed." She wrinkled her nose as she considered her own question. "Is it all brogues and strap-ons?" The temptation to tease Katie a little bit was far too strong to resist.

"Have you been looking through my stuff?" I asked, in a demanding tone, pretending to be annoyed. Katie fell for it instantly, her eyes going wide with alarm.

"No! No, I haven't Em I promise!" She stuttered, defensively. "Honestly, I just thought…" Her sentence ground to a halt as I was unable to hold in my giggles.

"Katie relax!" I told her with a grin. "I don't have any brogues _or_ strap-ons, okay?" Katie gave a sigh of relief.

"God, thank fuck for that! That's one mental picture that I really didn't need!" Katie's interest in lesbian sex seemed to vanish once that was established, and she made no further requests for information.

We spent the rest of the evening chatting and laughing together. It felt wonderful to reconnect with Katie, knowing that I finally had no secrets to keep from her. It also took me away from my concerns about Naomi, at least for a time.

* * *

Sometime around one in the morning, there was a soft knock at the door. Katie got up to answer it.

"Okay, keep your hair on" she muttered, as the knocking continued steadily. She swung the door open to reveal a grinning Naomi, leaning against the doorframe.

"My beautiful Em-leeee!" She slurred, wrapping her arms around my sister before she could stop her. "I want to do _lots_ of naughty things to your naked body." Naomi's drunken brain seemed to process that there was something wrong. She frowned at Katie, who had stiffened in her embrace. "_Not_ my beautiful Em-lee?" she asked in confusion, letting go of her grasp and taking a step backwards.

"No, that would be her" answered Katie, pointing in my direction. Naomi's eyes followed along her arm, until they came to rest on me.

"I think I might be drunk, because I'm seeing double!" She giggled stupidly at her own joke, before staring back at Katie. "Good job I realised you were the wrong twin. I nearly got confused and fucked you with my great big strap-on by mistake." Katie's eyebrows rose skywards, and she glanced hastily at me.

"I thought you said…"

"No Katie, she doesn't have one" I answered with a chuckle. I watched my adorable girlfriend as she moved unsteadily into the room. Katie and I had been drinking and were pretty tipsy, but Naomi was very drunk. She flopped ungainly down on the bed beside me.

"Urgh. Forgive my frunkedness?" She asked, with a cute pout on her lips. I nodded and smiled at her. Her eyes raked across my body. "I want to do lots of naked things to your naughty body" she told me, not at all bothered that she had made a similar offer to my twin, first of all. She shuffled closer and took hold of my t-shirt. I had to stop her from stripping it off there and then. Katie cleared her throat loudly.

"Well, I guess that's my cue to go. I'll leave you two alone to…" She shrugged, as the end of her sentence failed her. I stood up, walked over to Katie and gave her a hug.

As I closed the door behind my twin, Naomi looked up in confusion.

"Was it something I said?" She asked.

"No, but trying to strip me in front of my sister is a sure way to get rid of her." Naomi grinned at me.

"That's good to know" she said with a nod. I walked slowly back towards her, keeping my eyes trained firmly on hers.

"Now, what exactly did you want to do to my naked body?"

* * *

We were a little late arriving in the rehearsal room the next morning. Naomi was quite hungover, which made her grumpy. As ever, Cook showed no signs of his own late night.

"So what are we going to do about Freddie?" He asked. Naomi and I had filled the others in on the trick that Freddie had stolen from our show, and we were debating what to do about it.

"We'll have to find something else to fill that slot in the show" said Katie sadly.

"Why the fuck should _we_ have to change?" Asked Naomi angrily. "They stole it, not us!"

"But the audience doesn't know that" answered Cook. "We've got the taxi drivers telling whoever will listen that they've stolen our show, but people will make their own minds up." He rose from his chair. "But there's one thing we can do that will really piss Freddie off." He looked steadily at Naomi as he spoke, carefully watching for her reaction. "We could perform the Mystic Cauldron like we do now, then follow it by exposing the method. Freddie can't perform it when everyone in his audience knows how it's done." Naomi gave a disparaging snort, but otherwise stayed silent.

"Isn't giving secrets away frowned on?" Asked Katie. Cook shrugged.

"Well, it's kind of a grey area."

"Exactly" added Naomi, firmly. "One that I'd rather not wade into."

"Naomi, people are exposing magic secrets all the time" argued Cook. "A bit of exposure doesn't hurt. There are shops up and down The Strip, selling tricks to complete amateurs." Naomi sighed, exasperated.

"So does that make it okay then? Everyone else does it, so fuck it!"

"That's not what I meant…" Naomi seemed to be working up quite a head of steam. She didn't let Cook finish.

"A bit of exposure is okay, because that helps to get people interested in magic in the first place. But you're not talking about a bit of exposure, you're talking about exposing a really old trick. Not to mention the principle behind it! You give that information to people, and they'll think they know how every show on The Strip is done!" Naomi took a breath, and seemed to calm herself down a little. When she spoke again, her voice sounded less agitated. "Besides, we don't want to get into a war like that with Freddie, do we? Not when our whole show hangs on one big secret. Let's not give him another reason to try and figure that out!" Cook nodded dumbly, and sank defeated into his chair.

"So he gets away with it. Again." Naomi grimaced at his words.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but that's not the way to beat them" she insisted. "We'll just have to think of another trick."

Our meeting rolled on into the afternoon without any notable progress. We all became increasingly frustrated as we tried and failed to think of a suitable trick to replace The Mystic Cauldron. Eventually we resolved to keep the show as it was, and hopefully come up with a replacement later on.

* * *

Things seemed to get pretty much back to normal over the next few days. As far as we could tell, Cook didn't see any more of Effy, and we saw no sign at all of Freddie. He seemed to be keeping a low profile, and I wasn't surprised at that. I felt sure that Cook would end up punching him if he had come swanning into The Garda Resort.

Things carried on much as they had done between Naomi and I too. We still spent plenty of time together, but at times I had the feeling that she was keeping me at arms length. It was frustrating, but when she closed herself off, her outer walls became impossible to penetrate.

As the week dragged on, I found my thoughts dwelling more and more on what had happened when my family were in town. Mum's reaction was particularly on my mind. I kept replaying her rejection over and over in my head, getting angry and upset at her all over again as I did so. Things came to a head one evening after the show. Katie sidled up to me, with an expression that told me I wouldn't like what she was about to tell me.

"I spoke to mum today. She says they're extending their stay in America to come back to Vegas in a few days time." My first, rather naïve thought was that they were coming back so that mum could make peace with me. But another glance at Katie's expression told me how wrong I was. "Mum says she wants to talk sense into you, once and for all" said Katie gently.

"For fuck's sake! What is wrong with her!" I huffed. Why the hell couldn't mum just accept this about me? I felt my anger at her rising up again, but then it was overtaken by an extreme sadness. My own mother was trying to convince me that who I am is wrong. Isn't she supposed to just love me the way I am?

I excused myself from the others as soon as I could, telling them that I wanted an early night. But I hadn't been long in my room when there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find Naomi on the other side.

"Katie told me about your mum" she said, as she moved swiftly inside the room. She wrapped her arms around me, and in that instant I seemed to fall apart.

"Why can't she just accept me?" I asked, as tears threatened to overwhelm me. Naomi seemed to have been expecting this. She stroked my hair, and made soothing noises as she moved us back towards the bed. We sat down, and Naomi continued to do whatever she could in an effort to comfort me.

"I know, Em" she whispered, consolingly. "I'm here, its okay."

* * *

The next morning, I woke up alone. Somehow, I wasn't even that surprised when I saw nothing but the crumpled sheets next to me when I woke up. I knew that it must have been a pretty intense night for Naomi. She had spent the better part of the night reassuring me that she was there for me, and that she loves me. I knew that it was all true, I just wished that the thought of it didn't still scare her so much. I sat up and called her name, in the vain hope that she was still somewhere in the room. Only silence greeted me.

I felt tears rising up again, but I pushed them away. I had let too many things slip through my grasp because I was too scared to take action. Well that wasn't going to happen again. Naomi and I have something really special. I was determined to find her, and make her understand that what we have is so much better than anything she has known before.

* * *

**Don't worry, Naomi hasn't run very far.**

**So is anyone out there still reading this fic? I got really stuck with this chapter, but the story is going somewhere, I promise. I still have every intention of finishing it.**


	27. Rooms On Fire

**To the reviewer who asked if I have tumblr: No I don't. Or twitter, or anything else like that. I have a natural propensity for procrastination (oh and alliteration, apparently), so I'm a bit scared of anything that seems designed for wasting time. If you have anything to say about the story, it will have to go in that little review box.**

**On with the story. In case you have already clocked that chapter title: yes, you should avoid reading this chapter in public. You have been warned...**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Seven: Rooms On Fire

Naomi

I know I shouldn't have left Emily alone like that. It wasn't my proudest moment, but I just needed some time alone for a bit. I felt so guilty as I got dressed in silence, trying not to wake her. Then I crept out of there like I was escaping some kind of one night stand. I'm not running away, I reasoned to myself. I just need a little space for a while, that's all.

I went to my own room first of all. I had a quick shower and threw on some old jeans and a clean t-shirt, then I went down to the deserted theatre. It wasn't yet seven o'clock in the morning, so there was no-one else around. It felt peaceful, being the only one there. I ambled around, running my hands over the various props that were stored backstage there. Then I picked up a piece of rope and started practicing one of my favourite rope routines. I already knew the moves perfectly, but it felt good to work through something familiar. As my hands moved nimbly through the sequence of sleights, I was able to get lost in the moment and let all other thoughts drift away.

I had been there for maybe an hour or more before another sound rose across the room.

"Hi." I looked up from my work, but I already knew who that voice belonged to. Emily stood a few feet away, dressed in a pleated skirt, a plain t-shirt and slip-on shoes. She smiled uncertainly at me, bringing back my earlier guilt. I stared at her, wondering what her reaction to me was going to be. She slowly moved nearer, her guarded body-language giving nothing away. Would she be angry at me?

"Hey you" I muttered, giving her a small smile. Emily just strolled past me, heading towards the frame that we use for our final illusion. She stood there looking up at it, not saying a word. She had her back to me, so I had no idea what her expression was. I braced myself for whatever was about to come. After a few minutes, her silence felt like it was taunting me. "Emily…" She didn't seem to hear me.

"How quickly can you get out of this?" She asked, gesturing up at the frame. I frowned. Was that really what she wanted to talk about? When I didn't answer, she looked back at me over her shoulder with a questioning look.

"I don't know" I answered with a shrug.

"Can I time you?"

"Yeah, if you want to." Perhaps Emily didn't even want to talk about my little disappearing act. That suited me fine – I'm all for avoidance. I walked to the frame and stood with my back against it. As Emily stepped nearer I stretched my arms up in position to be tied up. She didn't make eye contact with me at all, she just picked up the first rope and bound my wrist. I held my breath as she reached across me and tied my other wrist. Then she arched an eyebrow at me, challenging me to get myself free. I grinned at her, and tugged at the end of the rope dangling near my left wrist. Nothing happened. That _should_ have been a slip-knot. I paused, then tugged again. Still nothing happened. An unpleasant sensation settled in my stomach, but I tried to keep calm. Perhaps she had tied my other wrist with a slip-knot instead. I caught the rope dangling near my right wrist and gave that one a tug. That knot didn't move either. Emily gave me a smug grin of satisfaction, and I realised that this was no mistake - she had tied me up for real. Suddenly I felt very uncomfortable. I was helplessly tied to the frame, and I didn't like the thought of that one bit. Emily took a step closer, pressing her body firmly against mine. A prickly heat began to make its way up my neck.

"I've got you right where I want you" she murmured in my ear. Her hot breath sent a delicious little shiver running down my spine.

"Emily, let me go" I groaned, tugging helplessly at my bound wrists. I didn't like the idea of things happening beyond my control.

"You can't run away now" she breathed, pressing a gentle kiss to my jawbone. "I can do whatever I want with you." There was a husky sensuality to her voice that made my skin tingle. Emily's hands slipped under my t-shirt, trailing softly across my waist. Goosebumps prickled across my skin as she did so. She continued to kiss along my jaw, before nipping at my earlobe. I squirmed awkwardly, torn between being incredibly turned on at the thought of being at Emily's mercy, and being really uncomfortable at my lack of freedom. The room felt suddenly clammy, stifling me.

"Let me go" I pleaded, pulling ineffectually at my bonds again.

"Ssshh!" Soothed Emily. She reached up on her tiptoes to place her hands gently onto mine. She interlinked our fingers and pressed a firm kiss to my lips. Her thigh found its way between my legs, pressing against the crotch of my jeans. I gave a small whimper at the contact, but it was swallowed by Emily as her tongue moved teasingly between my lips. I could hear my own heartbeat thundering in my ears. As Emily's thigh ground inexorably against me, my breathing quickened and my skin felt like it was on fire. I was in delicious agony, not sure whether I was hating this or loving it. I desperately wanted Emily to release me, but I was aching for her to undo my jeans and fuck me where I stood, too. I just didn't know which of them I wanted more.

Suddenly, Emily broke the kiss and looked intently into my eyes. She pulled back, leaving a few inches between us. My body surged forward a little, as though craving the contact with hers.

"I just want you to know that you don't have to run anymore" she said firmly. Still intent on denial, I tried to refute that.

"I didn't…"

"I know you find all of this very scary Naoms, but I'm not going anywhere." She smiled softly at me. "I love you. I love you just as you are, and I don't want to change you, or control you like Justin did." Her eyes practically shone with the sincerity in them. I swallowed thickly, and tried to get my breathing more under control. "And we don't have to rush things just because everybody knows about us now, okay?" Emily continued. I nodded, which seemed to please her. "But we've got something really special going on here Naomi, and I hate it when you pull away from me." I shook my head.

"I didn't mean to" I said desperately. "I just needed some space. I needed to…" I shook my head again, unable to find the words to explain.

Emily moved closer again, and pressed her lips to mine. I groaned as she deepened the kiss. She kept one hand linked with mine, but moved the other one down to slip back inside my t-shirt. Once there, her hand rose higher. She squeezed my breast, sending a rush of longing between my legs. The contact of her thigh was back, this time even more insistent. Things were getting increasingly steamy. I pulled against my restraints for a different reason this time, longing to wrap my arms around the beautiful red–head that was driving me wild. Before I could argue again for my release, she stepped suddenly back from me. I missed the contact immediately. As she moved, she tugged at one of the knots, pulling it free. My arm dropped limply to my side.

"I don't ever want to make you uncomfortable Naoms" muttered Emily apologetically. "I just needed to make sure you would listen to me." Realising that I now had my liberty, I quickly freed my other wrist. I stayed silent, not quite sure exactly how I felt about what she had done. Emily stared at me, waiting anxiously for my reaction. I took a deep breath as an unsteady mix of anger and lust burned through me. I had no idea which to act upon first. I stared at Emily, not sure whether to fuck her or storm from the room. "Are you okay?" She asked uncertainly.

I didn't consciously make a decision. Instead my body just took over control of my actions. I grabbed hold of Emily and swiftly changed our positions. She gave a squeak of surprise as her back crashed roughly against the frame. She looked on the point of saying something, but I didn't give her a chance. I surged forward and caught her lips hungrily with mine. Lust won the battle, and consumed me completely as our lips met. One of my hands moved up to cup her cheek.

"I can't stand it" I muttered as I continued to kiss her frantically. "I can't."

"Its okay" she whispered back. "It's okay." I wanted to tear off her clothes and take her right there, but something made me hesitate. I glanced around us, and realised that anyone with access to the theatre could walk in at any moment. And that included both Cook and Katie. As horny as I was, having them as an audience was not remotely appealing.

"Let's get out of here" I said, grabbing Emily's hand. I led the way towards the dressing rooms. I had no thoughts of going upstairs to my room – that would take too long. I wanted her right that instant, and my dressing room had a sturdy lock.

I burst through the door, pulling Emily along behind me. No sooner was it shut than I had her pressed firmly up against it, and the lock driven home. I kissed her again, claiming her lips roughly with mine. Her tongue eagerly sought out my own, letting me know that she was just as turned on as me. My hands roamed over every bit of her flesh that they could reach. It wasn't enough. I broke the kiss and reached immediately for the bottom of her t-shirt. I hastily stripped it off her, discarding it somewhere behind me. Her bra quickly followed, along with my own top.

I took the opportunity to slow down a little, and relish the sight in front of me. My eyes devoured the vision of Emily's beautiful naked breasts, heaving with every breath she took. Moving slower, though still with an urgency to my actions, I leaned down and took one of her nipples into my mouth. She moaned as I caressed it with my lips and tongue, teasing it into a hard peak. Her back arched towards me, and her hands tangled convulsively in my hair, pulling me closer. I gave the same attention to her other nipple, every little noise from Emily just spurring me on. I slid one hand up the outside of her thigh, hitching her skirt up. I cupped her arse and gave it a squeeze through her knickers, as my other hand moved to her inner thigh. I stroked the soft skin there, before carrying on upwards.

"Oh fuck, yes" moaned Emily, as my fingers reached their destination. I could feel her hot wetness even through her underwear. The knowledge that she was as turned on as me only served to add more fuel to my own fire.

Emily pulled my face back up to hers, and captured my lips with another passionate kiss. Her tongue reached for mine, and I was happy to comply. As I kissed her, two of my fingers strayed beneath the fabric of her knickers, sliding through her wet folds. Her hips rocked forward against me, urging me on. As the temperature in the dressing room screamed higher, I knew that I had to have her naked.

Emily groaned in protest as I withdrew my hands from her skirt. I reached straight for the zip. In my hast to undo it, I fumbled a little before finally relinquishing the skirt from her hips. As it dropped to the floor Emily stepped out of it and her shoes, before kicking them aside. I cast my eyes around the room, looking for where best to move to. As I spotted the small sofa, I knew exactly what I wanted to do: I wanted to strip Emily's knickers off and taste her.

"Sit" I said abruptly to Emily, nodding at the sofa. She grinned lasciviously at me, before doing as I asked. I knelt down on the floor in front of her, reaching straight to remove her underwear. She lifted her hips to make it easier. I tossed her last item of clothing carelessly aside, and pushed her legs apart. I settled myself between them, and with a last grin up at Emily, I moved forwards. At the first touch of my tongue, her hips thrust upwards. I held them down firmly, and turned my whole attention to driving her towards ecstasy. She spread her legs wide in encouragement. I ran my tongue through the length of her folds. I swirled it across her clit and slid it deep inside of her. I sucked at her pussy lips, tugging each one in turn into my mouth. Every action was followed by a moan of pure arousal from Emily. She threaded her fingers into my hair, as she rocked back against the sofa. I kept on with my relentless attention, sucking and licking her clit and her pussy. She was so worked up - I knew that it wouldn't take long.

Soon, I felt Emily's legs tense in anticipation. I knew that I was close to my goal. Her breathing was completely ragged, and her hands moved to clutch on to the sofa beneath her. I kept going. I flicked my tongue firmly across her clit, urging her on towards that big O.

"Fuck, Naoms I'm gonna…" the rest of her sentence was swallowed up as her orgasm hit her. I slowed my pace, but continued my actions as her pussy began to clench. Emily rocked and trembled and swore as the sensations ripped through her.

I didn't stop until I was sure that her after-tremors had all ceased. Then I sat back on my calves and grinned up at her. She gave me a beautiful, bleary-eyed smile in return. We sat like that for a few moments, just staring at each other.

"I love you Emily" I said gently, once her breathing began to return to normal. Her smile stretched wider.

"I know you do. I love you too." She pushed herself further back on the sofa, and gave me an appraising look. "You're wearing too much" she said simply. In a sudden flurry of action, I moved to put that right. Forgetting my normal bashfulness, I rid myself of the rest of my clothes. Emily watched me hungrily as I cast off my bra. I kicked off my shoes, then tugged my jeans and my knickers down together. Rather ungainly I managed to step out of them. As I stood naked in front of her, Emily's eyes skimmed across my whole body. She looked so full of admiration that she made me feel beautiful.

Emily didn't move from the sofa. Instead she crooked her finger, beckoning me to her. Like a magnetic pull I walked forwards. Her eyes settled lustfully on my tits as I did so. I climbed onto the sofa, straddling her with one knee on either side. Her hands moved straight for my boobs, squeezing and caressing them.

"God you're so gorgeous" she breathed as she leaned closer and kissed me. Her hands began to move across my body, seeking out other areas to stroke and tease. She broke our kiss and instead moved her lips down to my tits. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders as she tugged one of my nipples into her mouth. Her hands moved to my bum and pulled me closer. Once certain that she had me securely on her lap, Emily moved one hand around to my front. Her fingers trailed softly down over the muscles of my stomach. Her thumb reached my clit and began to rub against it. I pushed Emily's head back against the sofa so that I could claim her lips with mine. We deepened the kiss straight away. A low, guttural moan escaped me, as Emily's finger pushed slowly and deeply inside of me.

"Oh fuck" I whispered, taking in a big lungful of much-needed air.

"You like that?" She asked with a grin, as her finger continued to move inside me. I gave a hasty nod. "How about now?" She asked, adding a second finger. She began to rub her thumb against my clit once more.

"Fuck yes!" Was all that I could manage to say. She continued to pump her fingers into me, slowly at first but gradually increasing the tempo. I rocked my hips against her, matching her rhythm with my own. I gripped tightly onto her shoulders as she pushed me on towards my blissful release.

"Don't stop" I whimpered, as I felt on the brink of letting go completely. Emily began to curl her fingers, and at that moment I left all worldly thoughts and feelings behind. I cried out in ecstasy as wave after wave of delicious sensation tore through me. Emily held me close to her as I rode it all out.

* * *

"I'm sorry I ran this morning" I said gently. We were lying curled up together on the sofa in my dressing room. I didn't know how long we had been there in our post orgasmic bliss, but neither of us seemed to care. We hadn't put any of our clothes back on yet. I had tugged the throw from the back of the sofa over us, as the room had grown chilly and we couldn't be bothered to get up and adjust the air-conditioning. The sofa was small, and not really made for stretching out on – at least not for people of my height – but I didn't care about that, either. All I cared about was the beautiful woman that I was currently spooning.

At my words, Emily pressed her lips to my arm, the only bit of me that was within kissing distance.

"It was quite a half-hearted attempt at running" she answered with a smile. She twisted onto her back until she could look up at my face. "There are a million different places in this city that you could have gone to, but you ended up in one of the few places that I was sure to find you." I chuckled as I realised that she was right. I could easily have gone somewhere that she wouldn't have found me, but instead I hadn't even left the hotel. Perhaps this 'relationship' malarkey is getting easier. Though that probably has a lot more to do with Emily than anything else.

"Well, I guess my subconscious knows what's good for me, even when I don't" I said. "And _you_, Emily Fitch…" I pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. "…Are very good for me." I reached up and traced my fingers softly across her cheek. "You make me feel amazing."

"You're very good at _that_, yourself!" She giggled. I didn't need to clarify my words to her – she knew that I was talking about more than sex.

"I guess we're just great together then" I answered with a grin. "You're the most amazing woman that I've ever met Emily. Don't let anyone tell you any different." She nodded slowly. Jenna Fitch hung unmentioned in the air between us. I didn't want to bring her up directly, but she was the only person who seemed to think that Emily should change.

On that particular point, Jenna could not have been more wrong.

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**Hope you liked that! Please let me know what you think - reviews are always so inspiring.**


	28. Talk Of The Town

**Well hello there! I can't quite believe that I haven't updated this since February, but it's true. C****ould you all excuse me for a second? I have some introductions to make. **

**Shit, this is Fan. Have you met Fan before? Fan, this is Shit. (yeah, try and ignore the smell if you can. Oh, and try and keep him away from the food as well.) **

**Okay, hope you enjoy.**

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Chapter Twenty Eight: Talk Of The Town

Emily

Things improved between Naomi and I after my bold actions in the theatre. Not in a distinct, noticeable way – just little things. She seemed a little less scared of the feelings between us that grow stronger every day. She seemed to understand a little better that I don't want to 'own' her, the way Justin had done. That I want her – all of her – exactly the way she is.

I was relieved to say the least, to discover that I hadn't fucked things up completely between us. I still can't exactly say what was going through my mind when I decided to tie her up like that. I had been so happy to find her so quickly that morning, and discover that she hadn't ran any further than the theatre. I mean – it hardly counted as running at all, really. Was there anywhere in Vegas she could have gone to that I could have found her quicker? It convinced me at once that she really wanted to be found. So my anger and hurt feelings towards her had disappeared in an instant, replaced by an overwhelming need to make her see that this thing between us is real and for keeps. What I did next took me by surprise almost as much as it did Naomi. And it got the two of us so fired up, as well. That part hadn't been planned, either. As I released her, I saw a flash of fury in her eyes that I had never seen before. For the briefest second, I thought that I had pushed her too far, and it was all over. That fear only lasted until the kissing began in earnest. And then… well, Naomi is one passionate woman when she likes.

"Are you even listening to me Emily?" Mum's admonishing tone snapped me reluctantly back to the present day. Mum dad and James had arrived back in Vegas a few days ago, this time for an unspecified length of visit. Mum was at least talking to me now, but her conversation was unfortunately full of nothing that I wanted to hear. She had made it her mission to 'make me see sense' – which seemed to consist of endless lectures about going through 'phases', and not throwing myself away on some 'silly little obsession'. I had snapped at her several times recently, but to no avail. She kept on lecturing me, so I took to ignoring her.

"Not really" I answered with a bored sigh. I felt a sudden urge to wind her up. "I was day-dreaming about making love to my beautiful girlfriend, if you must know." Mum's eyes narrowed at me.

"You've grown very cheeky since falling in with that… _girl_." Mum studiously avoided actually referring to Naomi by her name. Instead, she was known variously as 'her', 'that girl' and occasionally, 'that young lady'. All uttered with as much venom as humanly possible.

As mum launched once more into a nasty diatribe about 'alternative lifestyles', I tuned her out, and let my mind drift away once more. I cursed myself for letting her box me in for this little lecture. I realised on her first day back that she had no intention of listening to my point of view. I had tried hard to avoid her altogether since then, so mum had resorted to more sneaky tactics – this time swooping into the rehearsal room after the others had all left for the day. Either myself or Katie always had to hang back, since the two of us couldn't move through the hotel together. So I was by myself, and mum was on me before I could make my excuses. I cast a swift glance at my watch: surely Katie would have reached her hotel room by now?

My phone suddenly vibrated with a new message, and I snatched it from my pocket with relief. It informed me that Katie was now out of sight, and I could finally leave the rehearsal room.

"I've got to go" I muttered, turning my steps towards the door. Mum fell into step along side me, not once breaking from her lecture.

"…And you're breaking up a marriage, Emily! It's just not right!" I stopped dead in my tracks as a few of her words filtered through my outer indifference.

"What did you say?" I demanded harshly. Realising she finally had my full attention, Mum's eyes flashed with triumph.

"I said that you're breaking up Naomi's marriage with your selfish behaviour!" She continued, hoping to press home her point. "That boy _loves_ her!"

"That's not _my_ definition of love" I answered with a sneer, but that was so _not_ the part that I should be fixing on. "What do you know about Justin?" I asked, trepidation rising within me.

"I know that he loves his wife!" Insisted mum. "Did she tell you that she just ran out on him? Not a word about where she was going or anything. Left him absolutely _beside_ himself with worry!"

No no no! This couldn't be happening!

"You've spoken to him? When? What the fuck did you say to him?" I took a firm step closer to mum, hoping that her answers would not be as bad as I suspected. Mum flustered a little, clearly thrown by my urgent questioning.

"Well, we… he needed someone to _talk_ to, and… sometimes a mother's point of view can…"

"Did you tell him anything about me?" I asked, cutting abruptly through her sentence. Mum's face softened instantly.

"He doesn't blame _you_ for all of this, Emily" she said gently. "He's always known that his wife is head-strong and stubborn!" My anger bubbled higher at hearing Justin's assessment of Naomi, but I needed to stay on track. I took another step closer to mum, not caring if my words came out harshly.

"Did you tell him about _me_? Justin thinks that Naomi is dating Katie – he doesn't know that I even exist!" Mum's gaze faltered, and I knew then that she had let our secret slip. And of all people, to Naomi's soon-to-be-ex husband. "Fuck" I cursed under my breath.

"Well I just assumed he knew!" Argued mum, suddenly realising that she had made a mistake. "He was very interested to hear all about you…"

"Yeah, I bet he was" I muttered. My emotions finally bubbled over. "Mum, Justin is a manipulative, controlling piece of shit." I practically spat each word out at her. "He doesn't want what's best for Naomi at all. He wants to _own_ her, and he's willing to use anything he can to get what he wants." Even as I spoke, the enormity of what mum had done loomed up above me. Justin didn't want Naomi to be a success in Vegas – he wanted her back in England playing his dutiful wife. And he had just discovered the one secret that held our show together.

Without another word to mum, I ran right out of the theatre. My only panicked thought was to get to Naomi. I knew the news that I had would devastate her, but we had to act on it as quickly as possible if we had any chance of keeping our secret under wraps. I paced restlessly in the elevator, as it made its meandering ascent to the right floor. Once it 'pinged' it's arrival, I burst out of there and along the corridor to Naomi's room. The sight of her in the doorway arguing with Justin only quickened my pace.

"I don't give a shit!" Declared Naomi to her husband. "The only thing I want to hear from you is that you've signed the divorce papers. We have nothing else to discuss!"

"That's where you're wrong" he said smoothly. "Meet me for a drink downstairs in twenty minutes." It wasn't a request, it was an order – which added to my already strong urge to slap the man. He turned and smiled at me. "Hi Katie." As he moved away down the hall, I wondered if perhaps mum hadn't actually spilled our secret to him. That hope was shattered a second later. "Or is it Emily?" He asked, turning back to throw a smug grin at the two of us. I heard Naomi gasp beside me. Before either of us could answer, Justin had sauntered off along the corridor. I turned to see Naomi's reaction: she had her eyes scrunched tightly shut.

* * *

"I'm gonna fucking kill him!" Growled Cook. Shortly after Justin left, we had summoned Katie and Cook to Naomi's room for an emergency meeting.

"I know how you feel" answered Katie. "I'm gonna kill my mother, as well." Cook shook his head.

"I'm not talking metorollogy!" He snapped. "I mean I'm really gonna fucking _kill_ that bastard! This is Vegas – that's how they solve their problems! There's a lot of secrets buried in that desert."

"That's how they _used_ to solve them" said Katie dryly. "But I don't think it's going to help us now."

"I have to meet him" said Naomi softly. She was sat on the edge of her bed and had hardly spoken a word since Justin had dropped his bombshell.

"No!" My exclamation came out stronger than I meant it to. "That's playing into his hands!" I argued. I hated the idea of Naomi going off to meet with her ex for what he probably thought would be a cosy little drink.

"We have to know what his intentions are" answered Naomi, staring firmly into my eyes. "He might keep it to himself." I snorted at that.

"We _know_ what his intentions are!" I snapped. "He wants you back, and he'll use any means in his power to achieve that!" Naomi stood up and took both of my hands with hers.

"That's not what _I_ want" she insisted. "But I should listen to what he has to say, and maybe I can get him to see reason." I really didn't hold out any hope for that, but since Katie and Cook both agreed that Naomi should meet with Justin, I could no longer really argue against it. But my heart still felt heavy as I watched her leave to go meet with her ex.

As the door closed behind Naomi, I felt Katie wrap her arms around my shoulders.

"Naomi doesn't want Justin anymore" she muttered into my ear. "She's in love with you." I returned her hug with gratitude. As each day passed, Katie had grown more and more accepting of my relationship with Naomi. Knowing that she was on my side was a great source of comfort.

"I know that" I told her. "I know she won't go back to him, but he still seems to have this hold over her." I couldn't really explain what I meant, I just knew that Naomi still reverted to her former 'doormat' self whenever she was around her husband. And I _hated_ seeing her like that.

The time went agonizingly slowly while I waited for Naomi to return. At last she did, letting herself quietly back into the room.

"Well?" Demanded Cook, although it was clear from her face that the news wasn't good.

"He said he's going to tell McLair about the twins" said Naomi with a sigh. "Unless I agree to give our marriage another try." Her eyes darted immediately to meet mine. "I told him to fuck off" she added quickly. I instantly stepped closer and slid my arms around her waist.

"I know that!" I told her. "I didn't ever think you would take him back!" Naomi reached her hand up to trail gently across my cheek.

"How could I ever go back to him, when I have everything I want right here with you?" As I leaned in closer I heard Katie impatiently clearing her throat, so I changed my mind. She may be accepting of our relationship, but she's still not comfortable with any PDA's between us.

"So that's it then?" Asked Katie grumpily. "Nothing else we can do?" Naomi turned towards her and Cook, a look of guilt flashing across her face.

"What else could I say?" She asked. "I _can't_ go back to him!" Katie looked suddenly mortified.

"I didn't mean you should go back to the fucker!" She insisted.

"Naomi, you're far too good for that arsehole" added Cook. Naomi relaxed a little in my arms at their words, happy that no-one had considered Justin's offer as a possibility at all.

"It wouldn't save the show anyway" I added. "The second you agreed to give him another try, he'd have you on a plane back to England." Everyone nodded their agreement.

"He's given me a couple of days to 'think it through' and change my mind" said Naomi, using her hands to add air quotes. "Maybe we'll think of something else in the meantime."

A short while later Cook and Katie left Naomi's room, leaving me alone with my girlfriend. It had been a gloomy departure, with none of us holding out much hope of getting around Justin.

"I've let everyone down" said Naomi, sinking with despair onto the bed. I sat next to her and pulled her into my arms.

"No you haven't! This isn't your fault, Naomi!" She shrugged, not ready to let go of her guilt. I tilted her chin until she was facing me and looking into my eyes. "Naomi, none of this is your fault, okay? Justin is a complete wanker, but he's not your responsibility." She gave a little smile of agreement.

"I can't believe I used to think that he loved me" she said softly. I gave her a reassuring squeeze, but since she seemed to want to talk, I just listened. "He tried to blackmail me into going back to him tonight – I mean, what kind of person _does_ that? That's not what love is! Love is… love…" Naomi raised her eyes back up to meet mine, and I saw a whole host of emotions brimming in them. "Emily, you make me _happy_" she added, simply. "I could never go back to Justin now, because you've shown me what love is _supposed_ to feel like." I pressed my lips firmly to hers. We gripped each other tightly, as though we were never planning on letting go. Our kisses tasted salty, and I realised that a trickle of silent tears were sliding down Naomi's face.

* * *

A couple of days later, it was our day off. I woke in my own room with the warmth of Naomi lying next to me. I glanced at the bedside clock: it was still far too early to be awake, considering that it was a day off. I vaguely wondered what had woken me so early. I turned to see the sleeping form of my girlfriend in the bed beside me. She looked so gorgeous with her blonde hair spread out across my pillow, her brow showing no signs of her waking worries. I shuffled closer. It may be early, but I was wide awake with no hope of getting back to sleep any time soon. An early morning fuck seemed in order, possibly followed by some more sleep.

I slid the sheet from Naomi, exposing her neck and shoulders. I pressed a light kiss to the base of her throat. She grunted a little, but otherwise showed no signs of stirring. I kissed her throat again, this time a little firmer. Then I began to kiss my way up her neck and across her face. I caught her lower lip between my teeth, tugging it gently. Finally, she mumbled something incomprehensible, and opened her eyes. When she saw me gazing down at her, she gave me a smile of dazzling warmth.

"Are you horny by any chance babe?" She asked, her voice still showing signs of her sleepiness.

"What makes you think that?" I asked, while sliding a hand teasingly up her stomach towards her breasts.

"Because it's a day ending in 'Y'" she answered with a grin. I wanted to resent the implication that I'm always horny, but really I had to concede that it was a fair point. Naomi slid her arms around me and pulled me in to a searing kiss.

Just as things were getting altogether more interesting, there was a nock at the door. I groaned and closed my eyes. Naomi placed a silencing finger against my lips.

"If we keep quiet, they'll just think we spent the night in my room" she whispered, making the same assumption as me that it was either Cook or a member of my family on the other side of the door. I nodded. We both held our breaths as we waited for any further noises. The knocking came again, this time a little more insistently. Again we waited, neither one of us willing to break our embrace.

At last things seemed to fall quiet.

"Now where were we" mumbled Naomi as she rolled me onto my back and claimed my lips with a kiss. This time we both groaned loudly when the knocking came again. Barely a second later, the hotel phone began to ring. "Fuck" cursed Naomi. "I don't think they're giving up. Okay, you get the phone and I'll get the door." She slid out of bed and threw a t-shirt on. As she grabbed her jeans, I reached over and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Emilio, is Naomi with you?" It was Cook, and he sound pretty urgent about something.

"Yeah, she's right here."

"Okay. Stay put, the both of you."

"Cook, what the fuck…"

"Don't leave that room, and whatever you do, don't answer the door."

It was too late. By the time his words had registered, Naomi had thrown on some jeans and was pulling open the door. A huge ball of sound forced its way into the room. I saw some flashes coming from the hallway, before Naomi slammed the door shut in a panic. She drew the bolt across, before running around the bed towards the phone. She grabbed the receiver, holding it between us so we could both hear what Cook had to say.

"Cook what the fuck is going on?" She demanded. "There's fifty fucking photographers outside our room!"

"It's the fucking press" said Cook with resignation. "It's out, Nai. They know about Katie and Emily. Freddie announced it at the end of his show last night. He…" I didn't hear anything more of what Freddie had done, because Naomi dropped the receiver at that point. Our eyes snapped instantly to meet each others.

"Fuck" we both said in unison.


	29. Dude Looks Like A Lady

**Right. So... sometimes, I can be quite silly. Those of you reading Capes and Capers will already be aware of this. **

**The following chapter does contain some very silly moments. Once the idea for this chapter popped into my head, I really couldn't ignore it. I hope you like it. **

* * *

Chapter Twenty Nine: Dude Looks Like A Lady

Naomi

I froze with shock as Cook's words sank in. I felt numb, unable to think of what to do next. I had known of course, that this would happen – ever since Justin discovered our secret. I knew that it was the only likely outcome, but I hadn't allowed myself to really think about it. I had hoped blindly for some miraculous way out, but none had materialized.

"I thought you said Justin had given you time to think about it?" Asked Emily, the same panic that I felt was evident in her voice. I simply shrugged. Justin had originally given me the option to go back to him in exchange for keeping my secret. Not that he made the offer in quite so blunt a manner, but I knew what it amounted to. And I hadn't believed a word of it. Justin doesn't _want_ me here in Vegas – he wants me back in England playing the doting wife. This was his real plan all along: destroy what I've created here, in the belief that I will fall back into my old ways and turn to him for rescue.

"Naomi! Naomi!" Cook's tinny, far-away voice from the other end of the receiver reminded me that we hadn't even finished our phone call.

"Tell Katie what's going on" I told Emily. I pointed in the vague direction of her mobile while I picked the receiver back up. "What the fuck do we do now?" I asked Cook in desperation.

"I don't know. We need to get together so we can decide what's next." We quickly arranged to meet down in the theatre.

As I hung up the phone, I turned to Emily who was still talking to her sister.

"We're having a meeting down in the theatre" I said. "One of you can come, but the other one will have to sit tight and wait until we figure something out." Emily nodded and relayed the message to Katie. The decision was quickly made: Katie naturally insisted that she should be the one to attend, and Emily didn't argue.

As I prepared to leave the room, I pecked Emily lightly on the lips.

"Don't open the door once I'm gone. Don't answer the phone, stay out of sight, don't have the TV on loud…"

"I know" she said firmly. "I'll stay here quietly until you contact me." I nodded. "Are there really fifty of them out there?" She asked. I shook my head – that figure had been a gross exaggeration. I gave her one last kiss, and braced myself for what was to come. I opened the door just wide enough, then slipped out into the hallway. Immediately, two photographers and a reporter were in my face asking questions about the twins. I pushed my way past them, and kept on along the corridor.

"Any ideas?" Asked Cook, a hopeful look on his face. We had assembled together in the empty theatre. The others had confirmed that reporters were camped outside of their doors, too. They had clearly discovered which rooms we were staying in, but since they were all registered in my name, they had no way of knowing who was in each room.

"What's the point" I grumbled, unable to match Cook's optimism. "The secret that our show was based on is out. Even if the papers don't get their proof, people will still know the truth when they see the show. Freddie's put the idea in their heads now."

"You're wrong!" Snapped Katie, fiercely.

"Katie, we can't keep the two of you a secret anymore…"

Katie shook her head firmly.

"No, I mean you're wrong that that's the basis of the show. You were putting together a show long before you met me and Emily. You two have worked so hard on this show, and you can't just give it up because of _one_ secret coming out!"

"She's right" said Cook with a nod. "That's just one bit of the whole show. We've worked too fucking hard to throw all that effort away now."

I gave a small smile to Katie.

"You and Emily have worked hard too, though. The show has been a success because of _all_ of us." Katie waved her hand dismissively.

"Yeah, we're all fucking awesome" she muttered in a bored tone. "But can we leave the big love in until _after_ we've saved the show?" I was spared from answering by the sound of the theatre doors behind us opening. Although access to the theatre during the day was strictly limited, I still leapt up in panic that it might be some reporters. I relaxed when I saw Mr Tomone and Panda walking towards us – but my anxiety increased when I remembered that he must be here about our secret coming out. I immediately went on the defensive.

"Mr Tomone! We know that the papers have gotten hold of the story of the twins. We're already working on an alternative finale. We'll need to close the show for a couple of nights…" I fell quiet as Mr Tomone held up a silencing hand.

"You will do no such thing" he said with a calm authority. "There's something you should all see." Without waiting to see that we were following, he walked back the way he had arrived. The rest of us tailed after him, exchanging curious glances.

Mr Tomone led us to the main entrance of the theatre. He pointed across the casino floor to the box office desks located a short distance away. A queue of people stood waiting in line, despite the fact that the box office wasn't open for another couple of hours. I gasped as I realised that the queue was already very long.

"They are all waiting to buy tickets for your show. It seems that McLair's little stunt may have backfired."

"But they're all…" I checked myself as I realised that it would be unwise to hold our discussions where there was a big risk of being overheard. "Let's go somewhere quieter" I muttered. Once safely back within the confines of the theatre, I voiced my original line of thought. "Those people are only coming in the hope of finding out if we _are_ using twins in the show."

"So let's give them what they want!" Declared Cook with excitement. "You said it yourself, Naomikins: we can't keep it a secret anymore now, so let's reveal it to everyone in a spectacular way!" Katie beamed at him, and Mr Tomone nodded his head approvingly. Cook continued. "We shouldn't change the end of the show. We'll do everything the same right up to the point where Katie appears at the back of the room. The audience is sat there all smug at that point, thinking 'that must be the twin'. Meanwhile, we've sneaked Emily off somewhere else. Everyone thinks that the show's over, but then we reveal Emily in some spectacular way – while Katie is still in full view."

I nodded thoughtfully as I mulled through Cook's suggestion. It had an 'if you can't beat them' quality to it that I certainly appreciated. Everyone would be expecting us to ignore the recent speculations about the show. The last thing anyone would anticipate would be for us to show off the secret ourselves. But since we couldn't use the secret anymore no matter what we did, it made sense to reveal it all in our own way. And at least in the short term, it would make us the most talked about show on The Strip.

"We've got to get to work" I muttered, feeling a renewal of energy flowing through my body. Tonight was our dark night – which meant that we had about 34 hours until our next show.

"That sounds like quite a plan" said Mr Tomone with a grin. He turned to leave, but then looked back at us over his shoulder. "Should I tell the box-office to increase the price of any remaining tickets for the next few nights?" Cook clapped his hands firmly together.

"Tell them to double them!" He declared. My own thoughts would have been more moderate, but Mr Tomone was clearly in agreement with Cook, and left without any argument. For once I was glad that we had 'four-walled' the theatre – it meant that any additional profits would come directly to us.

"How do we get Emily down here unseen to start rehearsing the new ending?" I asked, suddenly spotting the one flaw in our plan. In order for it to remain a surprise, we had to keep Emily away from the photographers that were prowling about.

"Sounds like you need a disguise" answered Panda, who had lingered back instead of leaving with Mr Tomone. I shook my head.

"A disguise worked before!" Argued Katie.

"But they're _looking_ for twins now" I pointed out. "Those reporters will be scrutinizing anyone who leaves any of our rooms." We all lapsed into a despondent silence.

Eventually, it was broken by Katie.

"But if there was some way that we could…" her face was scrunched up in concentration. Then suddenly, she chuckled. "Yeah, that might work." She walked over to Panda. "We're going to need a wig."

"Katie, a disguise won't work!" She silenced me with an imperious flick of her hand, but kept her attention firmly on Panda.

"I need you to find a one that's as close to my hair as possible" she instructed. "Also, we'll need you to…" Katie paused, and scrutinised Panda from head to toe with a keen interest. I watched her with mounting curiosity – especially when her eyes seemed to linger on Panda's chest. "Too big" she murmured, seemingly to herself. Then she fell silent, apparently stumped. It didn't last long though, and soon the light of someone with a brilliant idea shone in her eyes. She brought out her phone and dialled a number. Whoever she was calling seemed to take forever in answering – causing Katie to swear several times in annoyance. Finally, the call was connected. "James, get yourself down to the theatre now" she snapped, without any pleasantries. Her brother's answer caused her to snort derisively. "You're with a 'fit bird'? I don't think so! You spent the night alone, and you were just about to go in the shower for an early morning wank!" I winced at the harshness of her words. If we needed her brother to do us a favour, was that really the way to gain his assistance? But clearly Katie was accustomed to getting her brother to do what she needed. "There's fifty quid in it for you" she told him. "And I won't tell mum where the underwear section of her Freeman's catalogue went all those years ago." The call ended shortly after that exchange, apparently with a promise from James that he would join us soon.

* * *

"This isn't going to work" I muttered for about the fifth time of the morning. I looked back and forth between the two petite red-heads that were stood in front of me. They were dressed very similarly, in animal-print blouses, pencil skirts and high-heels, but you could see at a glance that they were not identical. For a start, Katie was a good few inches shorter. Though the height difference was the least of my concerns, considering that the other red-head was in fact Katie's brother, James. He was dressed up in a set of Katie's clothes, and sported a face full of expertly applied make-up.

"It'll work" said Katie, firmly. "You and James – dressed as me – walk past the photographers into Emily's room. Then Emily changes into the clothes James is wearing, and the two of you walk out the room. The reporters will think that the same two people are coming out of the room that just went into it."

"In theory" I said, with a roll of my eyes. "But James doesn't exactly look like you, does he?" Katie cast an appraising glance over her be-dragged brother.

"I think it'll be close enough" she muttered, thoughtfully. "James can wear some sunglasses, and keep his face buried in a magazine. If you keep moving, then they won't have chance to notice." I sighed and shook my head. I couldn't really believe that I was agreeing to this madness.

"I'm actually feeling pretty good like this" said James, twisting this way and that to see himself better in the full-length mirror of Katie's dressing room. "I feel… _comfortable_. Now I understand what Shania Twain was singing about." Katie was frowning at her brother.

"James, I think you need a bit more padding in that bra. You're boobs aren't quite big enough."

"They look the right size to me" answered Cook, flatly. Katie threw him a dirty glare, which he just ignored. "But Naomikins is the expert." He turned towards me. "You've had hold of the originals – are they big enough?"

"She has _not_!" Growled Katie, indignantly.

"Well I meant Emily's" said Cook. "What do you think, Naomi?" Not keen to get into a debate about the size of my girlfriend's cleavage, I decided to stop this particular train of conversation before it went any further.

"It doesn't exactly matter – we're hardly going to stop in front of the reporters and let them measure vital statistics, are we?" The others shook their heads sheepishly. "Good thing too, or they might notice that he's about three inches taller!"

"Oh, the heels will cover that" said Katie with a shrug. "We're lucky that he's not any taller. It's a good thing that he took all that ADHD medicine as a kid – it stunted his growth."

At the mention of heels, my eyes were drawn downwards. James kept stroking his hand gently against his bare legs, and I suddenly realised why.

"You've shaved your legs?" I asked in disbelief. "_That's_ why you took so long getting ready?" I turned to Katie. "Why didn't you just put him in dark tights?" Katie rolled her eyes.

"He laddered four pairs trying to get them on."

"How you women manage them, I'll never know" stated James. He began to move towards the door before staggering wildly in Katie's unfamiliar heels. "Fuck!" He gasped, as he steadied himself. "Eddie Izzard makes that look so easy!" His sister watched him with resignation.

"I'm going to have to teach you how to walk in heels" she told him.

"Katie, this isn't My Fair Lady!" I snapped, my patience finally deserting me. "We don't have time to teach him how to walk in heels, or show him how to put tights on, or give him fucking elocution lessons!"

"Yeah, we'll just tell them that I'm having a woman's period" added James with a grin. I shook my head in disbelief. If James thinks that women really speak like that, then he is _never_ going to lose his virginity.

"Don't you dare say a word in front of those reporters" I growled at him. James mimed zipping his lips shut. "Time is getting on. Can we please just get moving?"

"Wait!" Said Katie suddenly. She reached for her handbag. Fuck, now what - more lipstick? But Katie simply pulled out her phone from the bag. "I've got to get a shot of this" she laughed, raising her mobile to take a photo of James. Instead of arguing, he struck a pouting, glamour-model type of pose. Katie quickly took a snap. Since no-one seemed to have anything further to add, we finally agreed to get going. James put on a large pair of sunglasses, and picked up a magazine. He hooked his arm awkwardly through mine to steady himself as he walked. I picked up the bag with his regular clothes in, and we left Katie's dressing room.

"Since I look like your girlfriend right now…" asked James in a tone that told me I wasn't going to like what was coming. "Can I finally get a shag from you? It's not really cheating, if I look like Emily."

"Not if you were the last female impersonator on the planet" I cheerfully informed him.

As we reached the entrance to the theatre, I spotted none other than Jenna Fitch making her way towards us. I felt my whole body tensing in anticipation. She already thought that I had corrupted her youngest daughter – how on earth was _this_ going to look? She drew to a halt in front of us, and gave me her usual filthy look.

"Katie, have you seen James?" As she turned her gaze towards her son, a look of recognition flashed in her eyes. It was instantly replaced by a look of abject horror. Her jaw literally fell open in shock as she stared at James.

"Hi Mum" he grinned, as though nothing were out of the ordinary. For a moment, Jenna stood stupefied in front of us. Then she span around and ran swiftly from the theatre, as though the place were marked with the sign of the plague. James watched her go with a considered look on his face. I held my breath, worrying in case he was about to suggest going after her. I really needn't have worried. "Mum can even _run_ in heels" he muttered with appreciation.

"Come on." I dragged him over towards the lifts. The sooner we got this over with, the better.

My anxiety increased the moment we were on the floor of our rooms. 'This isn't going to work' chanted a voice in my head, over and over again. It was like a mantra to me as we made our way along the corridor towards Emily's room. Fortunately, James played his part admirably. He kept his head deep inside his magazine, not making eye-contact with anyone. We pushed our way through the questioning journalists towards the right door. I shoved the key-card in the lock, opened the door, and shoved James unceremoniously through it, crashing in to the room after him.

Emily jumped up in surprise from the bed as we burst in. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she took in the state of her brother, but she was able to at least keep her reaction quiet. As swiftly as possible, we filled her in on the plan. Without any embarrassment, James began to cast off Katie's clothes so that Emily could put them on. She chuckled as James stepped out of the shoes.

"You even painted your toenails?" She asked. I looked down and saw that James had shocking-pink nails.

"I was just getting into character" he answered with a grin. When the two of them started to giggle, I found myself chuckling along with them. Now that we seem to have gotten away with Katie's insane plan, I was feeling slightly more relaxed.

"Come on, lets go" I said to Emily one she was changed. "Stay here for at least an hour after we've gone" I instructed James as an extra precaution. I didn't want those reporters putting our plan together too quickly and chasing after us. James didn't seem bothered by my restrictions.

"That's fine. I think I'll have a long soak in the bath, then I might just treat myself to a manicure." I couldn't shake the feeling that James wasn't joking.

The remainder of the plan passed by without a hitch. Emily and I breezed past the unsuspecting reporters, chuckling slightly to ourselves at their stupidity. Then we made our way down to the theatre to join the others.

"Right everyone" I said with authority. "We've got a lot of work to do before tomorrow night."

* * *

**For those of you wondering about Capes And Capers: yes, I do still have every intention of finishing it. I've been a bit stuck with it lately - and rather busy with my own business, too - but I will be going back to it very soon.**


	30. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

**Well, I'm so sorry for taking so long to get this out to you. I never intended it to take this long, but other things have a habit of getting in the way. **

**I had some encouragement to get this chapter written: thanks go to Tofu9162 for leaving so many reviews, and also to Missmaraudeur, who is pretty much just generally awesome. Don't tell her I said that though, will you? She would probably get a big head over it.**

**On with the chapter, and as for the title: I had to go there sooner or later!**

* * *

Chapter Thirty: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

Emily

"No way."

"Emily, it should be relatively simple…"

I shook my head firmly as I looked around at the imploring faces of Cook, Katie and Naomi.

"Did I say 'no way?' Because I meant to say no _fucking_ way!"

We were gathered in the rehearsal space, and the others had filled me in on their plans for the new ending to the show. They had decided that my presence should finally be revealed to everyone – which I thought was a great idea. Everything was to proceed as it normally did, right up until the moment when I released myself from the ropes. Then instead of hot-footing it backstage and out of sight, I was to be moved elsewhere, ready to be revealed shortly after Katie's appearance at the back of the theatre. Then Naomi would say a few words, introducing me to the audience for the first time as myself.

Which all sounded fine, except for one thing: the way they intended to reveal me to the audience. Their idea was to have me dangling from the rafters on some sort of flimsy trapeze.

"Emily, it'll be _amazing_!" enthused Katie. I wasn't convinced.

"Do I look like a fucking trapeze artist to you?" I snapped. Naomi sniggered.

"Well, maybe in an alternate universe somewhere…"

"I am _not_ going to be hauled thirty feet above the stage on a bit of dowel rod attached to a couple of bits of string!" I insisted. Katie snorted.

"It's not thirty feet! And it'll be easy - you just have to sit there!"

"_You_ do it then!" I barked back. I knew that it wouldn't really work that way round, but her insistence that me risking my neck was 'easy' did nothing to calm my temper.

"Emily, listen to me." Naomi stepped towards me, speaking in a smooth, consoling voice. She ran her hands gently down my forearms, before taking both of my hands with hers. "It's not a bit of dowel-rod, it's a swing. You'll be able to sit quite comfortably." I opened my mouth to argue further, but Naomi didn't give me any chance. "And you'll be attached to a safety-harness, so you won't be able to fall." She took a step closer to me and slid her hands now around my waist, pulling me in to the warmth of her body. "Do you really think I could ask you to do something dangerous?" She asked, gently.

"Well, no…" I felt my resolve weakening somewhat in light of that argument.

"Of course not. Emily, I couldn't bear to see you in danger. I couldn't bear to…" Naomi glanced awkwardly around us, as though suddenly recalling Cook and Katie's presence. "…Well, I like having you around" she added, with a tentative smile. "It's all perfectly safe – we'll have all the equipment triple-checked." I closed my eyes and let out a soft sigh.

"I'm not sure if I can do it" I confessed.

"Look, if you're really not happy, then we'll think of something else. But I _know_ you can do this. You're an amazing woman Emily Fitch. I think you can do anything." A warmth spread through me at her words, filling me with the desire to do whatever Naomi asked of me. I felt the corners of my lips twitching upwards into a reluctant smile.

"Okay, let's take a look at the harness" I agreed.

As Naomi led me over to the apparatus that I was to use, I saw Katie staring at her with an expression of grudging admiration.

"You're good, Campbell" she admitted, simply. Naomi grinned broadly at Katie's compliment. "Is that how you persuaded my sister that you're a decent catch?" Added Katie, with a devilish grin.

As it turned out, the apparatus was relatively simple to use. A couple of safety guys showed me how to use it and what would happen. At Naomi's insistence, they went through all of the safety features, explaining them thoroughly. And she would not let them strap me up until they had triple-checked every last inch of the contraption.

* * *

"Okay that's good" announced Cook, bringing our rehearsal time to a conclusion some time later. Our practice had gone smoothly, and we all felt relatively confident with the new ending. "We'll have more time to rehearse tomorrow, but that's looking pretty slick so far." He turned towards Naomi. "But you need to get your final speech sorted out." So far, Naomi didn't have a script prepared for how she would introduce me to the audience. She nodded.

"Yeah, I know roughly what I'm going to say. I'll write something out tonight."

The others began to drift towards the exit, and I realised that we had forgotten something.

"How am I going to get back to my room?" I asked. The rest of the group stopped short and turned their guilty expressions towards me.

"Shit, I forgot about that" answered Naomi. "I'm not keen on using James' disguise any more than we have to." I glanced forlornly back in the direction of our dressing rooms.

"I guess I'll have to sleep here tonight."

So that was how I found myself alone in the theatre, contemplating an uncomfortable night ahead.

* * *

A couple of hours after they had all left, Naomi returned. She had promised to bring me some things to make my night more comfortable. She arrived backstage with a huge holdall thrown over one shoulder and a carrier bag full of take-away clutched in her other hand. She had the collar of her shirt turned up, and a beanie pulled firmly down over her blonde locks. I smirked at her.

"Is that your idea of a disguise?" I asked. Naomi dropped the holdall to the floor with a dull thud.

"I just didn't want to draw attention to myself that's all" she answered, as she stretched out her shoulders.

"Did you get your speech written?"

"Yeah." She held up the carrier bag she was holding. "I brought us some take-away." I noticed her reluctance to talk about the speech, but I didn't press her on it. Naomi walked towards her dressing room, dragging the holdall behind her. "Just give me five minutes, yeah?" She walked into the room, shutting the door behind her. Left alone in the empty corridor, I was feeling slightly puzzled.

A few minutes later, Naomi emerged from the dressing room.

"You can come in now" she told me, with a sheepish grin. My curiosity heightened, I followed Naomi as she disappeared back into the room. The room was dark by contrast to the bright corridor. As my eyes adjusted to the alteration, I realised that the only light in there was candlelight. Naomi must have brought every single candle that she could lay her hands on, and set them up all around the sides of the room. She had pushed the sofa to one side and arranged a make-shift bed in its place. Blankets pillows and a quilt were spread out invitingly across the floor. In the middle were two glasses of wine with the remainder of the bottle, and our take-away already plated up. Naomi's ipod and dock were set up in one corner, with a gentle, romantic beat emanating from it. "Hope its going to be comfortable enough" said Naomi.

"It looks great" I told her with a smile. "Thanks."

She grinned broadly at me.

"Well, I hate the idea of you having to sleep down here, so I wanted to at least make it half-way decent."

"No wonder you brought such a big bag" I mused, casting a glance at the discarded hold-all. "You had loads in it."

"I couldn't fit everything in it" she told me as she sat down next to the food. "The only thing I didn't bring was some pyjamas."

"You know I don't wear pyjamas." I sat down beside Naomi and bumped my shoulder playfully against hers. She smirked at me.

"The pyjamas were for me."

"You're staying with me tonight?" I had hoped that she would, but this was the first indication she had given of that intention.

"Well I was _planning_ to, but now it's awkward because I don't have anything to sleep in." I frowned and nodded sagely, as though in deep contemplation of this tricky problem. "I guess I'll just have to sleep in this" added Naomi, indicating the t-shirt she was wearing. I shook my head.

"No, you can't wear that" I insisted. I picked up my glass and dipped a finger into it. I pressed that same finger to Naomi's shoulder, leaving a single drop of wine on her top. "It's soaking wet." Naomi looked down at herself.

"Gosh, you're right – I didn't even realise." She clicked her tongue thoughtfully, continuing on our little game.

"Well then I suppose…" I began slowly, as though an idea had only just occurred to me. "I guess you could… sleep in… in nothing." Naomi's eyes widened comically.

"But Emily! Won't _you_ be sleeping with nothing on?" I nodded. "We can't _both_ sleep naked! That's how babies happen!"

"We'll just have to run that risk."

* * *

We were tired but very contented when we joined the others onstage for final rehearsals the next day. Katie took one look at our dopey smiles and touching hands.

"God, you two have been fucking all night, haven't you?" She asked, a look of mild disgust crossing her face.

"Pretty much" I answered with a shrug.

"Spare us the details." Katie gave a mock shudder, but I didn't care. She had many times shared way too much information with me about _her_ encounters – I was being positively discreet by comparison.

"No, let the ladies share every last moment, if they feel the need" said Cook with a broad, hopeful grin. Naomi just shook her head at him.

"Sorry Cook. What we have is too beautiful to share." As Katie made exaggerated retching noises, we began to get down to work.

We spent the morning walking through the new ending, making sure we all knew how it fitted in to the rest of the routine. For me, this meant spending most of the time on the swing above the stage. My fears of the day before didn't resurface, and I was starting to feel more at ease up there.

After a short break for lunch, it was time for dress-rehearsals. We all emerged from our dressing rooms in full costume. Katie and I were in our matching white leotards – the only difference being that hers had a pair of fluffy wings attached to it. But that difference was about to be addressed. Panda had arrived, and was clutching a similar set of wings that she had made for me. She brought them over to me and showed me how I could quickly slip the straps over my shoulders before I climbed onto the swing. Once the wings were in place, she smiled in admiration of her handiwork.

"Wow, those look whizzer on you! What do you think, Naomi?" Naomi had been deep in conversation with Cook, and needed to be called a second time before she looked over towards us. When she did so, her eyes widened noticeably.

"Hey, I think I'm in heaven!" Laughed Cook, taking in myself and Katie as matching angels. "What do you reckon, Naomikins?" But Naomi seemed suddenly incapable of speech, and resorted to just staring at me. Her eyes raked over my whole body, before finally meeting mine. I swear, they were screaming 'I want to slowly peel that outfit off you and explore every inch of your body' at me. The thought of her doing so sent a dizzying rush of heat straight through me.

"God, would you put your tongue away, Campbell?" Asked Katie, breaking us both out of our staring contest in a flash. Reluctantly, I pushed my little daydream aside – we still had a lot of work to do. But I mentally filed it under 'things to do later when I'm alone with Naomi'.

"Okay, let's start the rehearsals" said Naomi quickly, looking a little flushed.

The rehearsal went fine, right up until the final moment of the routine. I made my appearance on the swing, which was then slowly lowered down to the ground while Katie approached from the back of the theatre. Once we were both onstage, Naomi stepped forwards to address the audience.

"Right, then I give my little speech and we all take our final bows" she muttered.

"It's a full rehearsal, Blondie" called Cook from within the cage at the back of the stage. "Which means saying all of your lines as if the audience was here." Naomi shrugged.

"I just have to say a bit to introduce Emily to everyone, then I ask the audience to keep the new ending to themselves. I don't need to rehearse it."

"We rehearse everything, you know that" answered Cook, emerging from the cage and making his way over to Naomi. She looked down at her feet and fiddled awkwardly with her hands.

"It won't have the same impact with no audience here. I'd rather just deliver it for the first time tonight." Cook frowned at her.

"You're the one who always insists that we rehearse everything."

"Just leave it" she said, dismissively. Cook was not so easily to be persuaded.

"You _have_ written it, haven't you?" He demanded. Naomi sighed.

"Cook, don't worry. I've written it okay? It just won't sound as good until the right moment, so I _won't_ say it until tonight." Katie and I exchanged puzzled glances with each other, both of us curious about Naomi's sudden obstinacy. Cook tried again to persuade her, before seeing that she would not change her mind. He then dropped it, but lapsed into a sulky disposition for the remainder of the afternoon.

* * *

The rest of the day flashed by so quickly. Before I knew what was happening, we were all backstage waiting for the curtain to go up. I was well used to the feeling by now, but this time seemed different. I was as nervous as I had been for our opening night. This was it: I was finally about to step into the limelight alongside the others. And the thought of that made me feel like someone had told me details of my parents' sex-life – very queasy.

I glanced around at the others. Cook and Katie were both very quiet – the only sign either of them gave that they were apprehensive. Naomi was attempting her now-familiar coin-roll. A half-dollar rolled back and forwards across her knuckles as she watched it with studious observation. The coin fell to the floor, causing Naomi to curse as she stooped to retrieve it. She tried again, but the result was the same. Clearly, she was very nervous about this night. Not that I was surprised: our whole future depended on what people thought about the new ending for the show.

After a few more failed attempts, Naomi tossed the coin away with disgust. Cook glanced over at her.

"You okay Blondie?" Naomi nodded distractedly. Seeing that she clearly was not entirely okay, Cook walked over to her. He threw an arm around her and pulled her close to him. "We're gonna storm it, okay? The new ending is the dog's bollocks. They're gonna love it." Naomi nodded a little more convincingly this time, and even managed to give her best friend a grin.

I let out an inner sigh of relief. The earlier tension between them now seemed to have passed completely. That was so often the way with those two – they had a disagreement, one or both of them sulked for a while, then it was forgotten about.

"Curtain time."

Those two words sent my mind hurtling back to the present time. I glanced at Naomi, hoping for a smile of reassurance, but she was lost in her own thoughts and didn't make eye-contact. I did my best to swallow down my fears, and watched as Cook and Katie stepped out onto the stage.

I watched most of the show from the wings as I usually did, not having much to do other than double for Katie a couple of times. Once during the severed head illusion, and once when she had a tricky costume change that took longer than she could be off-stage for. But once we reached the final illusion it was my turn to step up. I played the assistant from the start of the routine, while Katie had ample time to get in position at the back of the theatre.

I played the part as I had done in every show so far. Cook put Naomi into a cage then tied me up to the frame, pulling the curtain across to hide me from view. This time, instead of slipping quietly backstage and out of sight, I ran towards the harness. As the safety guys strapped me in, I quickly threw on my angel wings and sat on the swing. Then I was hoisted above the stage, ready to be swung down into view at the right instant.

I listened carefully for the point when Katie made her appearance at the back of the theatre. Normally this moment was met with gasps of astonishment, but tonight there seemed to be a knowing murmur around the audience instead. Just as we had suspected, they had all heard the rumours about there being a secret twin, and were here to see the proof for themselves.

But before the audience had too much time to process things, Katie gestured their attention back to the stage. Now Cook was trapped inside the cage, with Naomi standing triumphantly on top of it. She smiled at the audience, before announcing:

"Ladies and gentlemen… allow me to introduce the final member of our team." She motioned above the stage, which was the cue for me to be swung down into view. I clung tightly to the swing with one hand, while waving to the audience with the other. I smiled brightly, trying hard not to show the lurch that I felt in my stomach whenever I was suddenly dropped down like that. Despite trying to concentrate hard on what I was doing, I was still able to appreciate the reaction of the audience. It was clear that we had taken them by surprise – their excited chatter showed that no-one had expected us to reveal my presence so boldly.

The swing was then lowered slowly to the stage. By the time I reached the ground, Naomi had climbed down from the cage and came over to release me from the harness. Katie had made her way along the aisle and now released Cook from the cage. She took his hand as Naomi took mine, and we all made our way to the front of the stage. The reaction of the audience was still continuing, so Naomi had to wait before making her final speech. Just as the noise had passed its peak, she gestured for silence. As a hush fell, she spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you have all already met the beautiful Katie." She gave a nod and a smile in my twin's direction. "But it gives me great pleasure to introduce you now to her equally beautiful twin sister, Emily." Here she turned towards me with a nod. Then I heard her take a deep breath, readying herself for her next line. I felt her hand tremble slightly in mine. "Emily has worked as hard on this show as the rest of us, but has up to now remained out of sight. I'm happy to introduce you to her all as not just an important part of our team, but also as the woman…" My heart leaped up into my throat. Is she really about to do this? Is the normally private and closed-off Naomi really about to tell the world her real feelings?

Realising that she was not continuing, I cast my eyes to her. She had a suddenly uncertain look on her face, and I realised that my hopes had been a little over-ambitious. With a swift movement, Naomi switched off the wireless transmitter of her hidden microphone.

"I can't believe I was just about to 'out' you to everyone!" She whispered to me in sudden alarm. Warmth rushed through me, as I understood the reason for her hesitation was only concern for me.

"Just do it" I whispered back. Perhaps I was caught up in the euphoria of our successful performance, but in that one second I gave no concern to all of my years in the closet. I just wanted to hear the woman I love declare her feelings for me aloud to the world. Naomi squeezed my hand gently. Are you sure, she asked silently. I nodded back. She switched her microphone back on and turned back to face the crowd. In a calm, steady voice, she continued.

"…But also as the woman that I have fallen in love with." There was silence in the auditorium, everyone wanting to catch each one of Naomi's words. "Emily is the most amazing woman it has ever been my good fortune to meet. She makes me happy every moment that I spend with her." I stood beside her with an enormous grin on my face. I hoped that she wouldn't ask me to say anything to the audience myself – the tears building at the back of my throat would make that impossible. Naomi continued. "And she has made me realise that being in love with someone - being in a relationship with someone – should never mean that you lose sight of who you are as a person. _Real_ love just isn't like that." She turned towards me, her face shining with so much emotion that it was breath-taking. I didn't think about what I was doing, I just acted on instinct. I closed the space between us and pressed my lips to hers. The entire theatre burst into applause, led by Katie and Cook.

As the noise eased away, Naomi and I clung to each other in a tight embrace, neither one of us able to speak. Fortunately Cook seemed to sense this, and stepped forward to close the show in Naomi's stead.

"Well lads and lasses, we've reached the end of our show. Just remember that there are other people here in Vegas who haven't seen it yet, so please keep our surprise ending under your hats, and don't spoil it for the next bunch."

As we all took our bows, the noise level was absolutely deafening. I couldn't let go of Naomi's hand as we stepped off the stage, nor as we came back to take our second bows. I held on throughout a standing ovation, and wasn't sure that I would ever let go of it again.

Once backstage, we all burst out laughing from sheer relief at how well it had gone. We exchanged hugs and congratulations with each other.

"Nice speech, Blondie!" Said Cook. "They all lapped up that emotional stuff!"

"Who knew you had such a soppy side!" said Katie with a grin.

"I certainly didn't."

On hearing those softly spoken words, I turned around to face their unexpected source.

"Mum. I didn't know you were coming tonight." I had been so wrapped up in the moment that I hadn't even heard mum dad and James coming backstage. From the sudden strain in the atmosphere, I guessed that no-one else had either. Dad and James were grinning, but mum's solemn expression was unreadable.

"I gave them comp tickets" muttered Naomi. She was stood by my side, her fingers still laced firmly through mine.

"You were amazing tonight girls" gushed dad, pride written so openly across his face. "All of you were" he added as an afterthought, casting his grin to include Cook and Naomi.

"It was very… modern" said mum. I was assuming she was referring to the inclusion of a rather chaste gay kiss at the end.

"Don't you think they were wonderful?" Prompted dad. Mum nodded slowly.

"Yes. Yes, you were both amazing. I just… I didn't know…" She seemed to be struggling to understand her own feelings. I had never seen her so uncertain as this.

In a moment of uncharacteristic tact, Cook suddenly remembered something that he urgently needed to show to my father. They, James and Katie all drifted away in the direction of the dressing rooms leaving myself and Naomi alone with my mother. A little squeeze of my hand told me that Naomi had no intention of also slipping away.

"You really love her" said mum to Naomi, although her inflection made it unclear if it was a statement or a question.

"Yes I do" was the immediate answer. "How could I not?"

"And I really love Naomi, mum. This is the real thing, okay? It's as real as what you feel for dad."

Mum closed her eyes and let out a gentle sigh.

"I just don't understand why you can't find those feelings with a man."

Frustration bubbled up within me, but I knew that mum was trying in her own way to make some sort of peace between us.

"Fair enough" I said firmly. Mums' eyes snapped open. She looked at me with hope, not understanding my meaning. I moved to set her right. "I don't need you to understand - I just need you to accept it. I just need you to realise that this…" I held mine and Naomi's linked hands up to show her. "…is _not_ going to change. If you can do that…" I left the end of my sentence hanging in the air. Mum looked thoughtfully at me, weighing up my words.

"Okay" she answered softly, almost reluctantly. "I'm not sure I'll ever understand it, but… I'll try to accept it." It may not have been much, but at least it was a start. Maybe her attitude would get better in time, if she wasn't fighting against it so much.

As mum drifted away to find the others, I turned to face my girlfriend. She was smiling apologetically at me.

"I gave them the tickets, and I arranged for someone to bring them backstage after the show. I thought if the two of you just keep talking to each other…"

"Thank you" I told her with a grin. "You did great." Naomi breathed out a sigh of relief. I drank in the sight of my wonderful girlfriend. "Is there anything you _can't_ do?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I'm a crap cook" she admitted. "I can't even make beans on toast." I chuckled, and slid my arms around her.

"That's okay, I'm pretty handy in the kitchen."

Naomi smiled back at me.

"Right, then you can cook all the meals for us both."

Gladly, Naomi Campbell. Gladly.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!**


	31. Won't Get Fooled Again

**Hello there! A bit of a short chapter here - it was originally intended to hint at some of the things to come in the wrap-up of this story, but instead this felt like a nice spot to leave it at. **

**In other news: Is everyone reading 'Educating Naomi'? I do hope so - its quite excellent! I was so flattered when Miss Maraudeur asked me to help her with adding some comedy to her new story. But I have to admit that all of the funniest moments in it are her own writing. She has a great knack for comedy! Anyway, if you're not reading it, then you should be. So go now and read it. Wait, come back! Read this chapter first, then go read it. **

**Since that's why you were here to begin with... **

* * *

Chapter Thirty One: Won't Get Fooled Again

Naomi

The elation that hit me as we took our final bow was immense. It's always a rush to know that you've delivered a well-received show, but this feeling was so much greater. Holding onto Emily, seeing how my words had affected her was the best feeling in the world.

The idea to introduce her with my own little declaration had occurred to me as soon as Cook pointed out that I would have to make a speech. I've given Emily so much to put up with lately, yet she's still here making me happy. I wanted to let her know just how thankful I am for that, and this seemed like the best way to do that.

I struggled over finding just the right words – and still felt like what I had written was completely inadequate. But I could see in Emily's reaction that she understood what I was trying to do, and that she fully appreciated my efforts.

And then just to completely cap everything else, Jenna showed up after the show and didn't act like a total cunt. Wonders will never cease. Although she hadn't developed a groovy, 'live and let live' attitude overnight, she at least seemed willing to accept our relationship now.

Although it perhaps wasn't as out-of-the-blue as it appeared to everyone else. I hadn't yet told Emily, but I had bumped into Jenna the day before.

_I was heading back to the theatre to join Emily there for the night. My heart sank as I heard Jenna's harsh voice behind me._

_"I want a word with you, young lady." I couldn't even remember the last time someone had referred to me as 'young lady'. Suppressing a sigh, I turned around to face her. She marched up to me, clearly gunning for a showdown. "I want you to stop spreading your perverted influence through my family." Well that's lovely, isn't it? _

_Caught indecisively between yelling at her or simply walking away, I ended up just standing there rooted to the spot. Jenna pressed home that advantage. _

_"I saw what you did to James earlier. I suppose that's your idea of fun, is it?" Right, so as well as recruiting Emily to the big old 'team gay', I was now responsible for introducing her youngest child to the delights of drag - just for shits and giggles. This time I couldn't hold back a sigh._

_"Listen, I don't think you need to worry about James. He's not really a transvestite – although I don't see what's wrong with that if he was…" Jenna rolled her eyes, as if to say: 'no, you wouldn't see what was wrong with it.' "…He was just helping us to set right the shit-storm that you created for us."_

_"Me? I haven't done anything!" Her self-righteous indignation set my blood boiling. I jabbed a threatening finger at her._

_"You told Justin about Emily! You knew we had to keep it a secret – Katie explained that to you."_

_"I assumed he knew! He's your husband" she garbled hurriedly._

_"He's my EX husband, okay?" I snapped. "That's if he will ever let me go" I added, more to myself than to Jenna._

_"I don't see…"_

_"He took that information straight to our rivals. He told McLair, so that McLair could announce it to everyone and ruin our show!" Jenna looked quite thrown by this information – clearly it was news to her._

_"But why would Justin do that?" She asked._

_"You don't know him, Mrs Fitch. He can be very charming when he wants to be, but he is also very manipulative. He doesn't want me to have my own career! He wants me under his thumb, with him making all of my decisions for me. Just like I was before." Jenna fell silent while she contemplated this new idea of Justin. Struck by a sudden inspiration, I kept going. "Emily's told me a lot about you, Mrs Fitch." At this mention of her daughter, Jenna's eyes flashed to meet mine. "I know that you're a strong, independent woman with your own business. Emily really admires you for that. Surely you don't think that a woman should be controlled by her husband, the way I was with Justin?" She stared uncertainly back at me._

_"No. No, of course not." A thought occurred to her, so she continued with more confidence. "But not all men are like that! You were just with the wrong person, that's all. There's no need to swear off men altogether!"_

_God she is one frustrating woman! But I tried to keep my frustration in check – I felt that calm words would have more effect than shouting._

_"You're right – I was with the wrong person" I agreed. "But now I'm with the right person, and that happens to be a woman. And for some reason, I seem to be the right person for Emily, too. Is that really so wrong?" Jenna crossed her arms defensively in front of her body._

_"I just want Emily to have something normal."_

_"You're so obsessed with normal! What is normal, anyway? Do you think it's normal for a woman to deliberately sabotage her own daughter's career, just to stop her being with a woman?"_

_"Sabotage?!" Jenna looked positively shocked at the word._

_"You wanted to wreck the show so you can get Emily back to England and back under your influence." I wasn't sure that I really believed what I was saying. Perhaps I was judging Jenna by Justin's standards, but I was too het-up to really think straight._

_"Naomi, I didn't know what Justin was going to do!" Argued Jenna. My accusation must have spooked her – that's the first time she has used my name since finding out about me and Emily. "I don't want to destroy the show! How could I want that? I just want Emily to… to…" she stumbled uncertainly over her own words._

_"To do what you tell her to do?" I asked, softly. I could see instantly that I had scored a bullseye with that one. Jenna frowned and fell silent. I pressed on. "Well I know what it's like to live under someone else's instruction Mrs Fitch, and it's not something that I ever want to go back to." The comparison to Justin stunned Jenna – she had no reply to make. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to spend time with someone who doesn't think that I'm abnormal." I turned and began walking towards the theatre – towards Emily._

_"Naomi." It was the crack in Jenna's voice that stopped me from walking away. When I turned back to face her, she had none of her usual self-assurance. "I didn't know that Justin was like that" she said, apologetically. "I wasn't trying to sabotage the show, you must believe me." There was a pleading note to her voice. I considered her words for a moment._

_"Yes" I answered with a sigh. "Yes, I believe you." And I did believe her – there was nothing but truth in her open expression._

_As I stared at the mother of my wonderful girlfriend, I suddenly began to see a different side to Jenna. Her opinions may be narrow and bigoted, but she was fiercely protective of those she loved. Overwhelmingly so, and completely misguided, but her actions undoubtedly came from the heart._

_"Here." I pulled three complimentary tickets from my pocket and handed them to her. I had planned to give them to some reviewers that owed me a favour, but I knew that I was putting them to a better purpose this way. "It's Emily's big night tomorrow - she's finally stepping out of the shadows. You should be there to see it." Jenna looked at the tickets as though they were alien artefacts, but she took them from me none the less. "Come backstage afterwards. If you want to." Seeing that Jenna had no more to say, I turned and walked into the theatre._

"Why don't we take everyone out for dinner tonight – my treat!" Announced Rob, bringing me back to the present. I couldn't help a little furtive glance at Jenna, just to see if she was happy for me to be included in the invite. Her face gave nothing away.

"I'm afraid we can't just yet – not all of us together." Our intention was to still keep Emily's presence under wraps for the shows to come. We planned to perform the new version of the show for a few weeks while we worked out a completely new ending. Then Emily would become a fully acknowledged member of the team, and both twins would act as assistants together.

"You guys go" insisted Katie. "Emily, you need to spend some time with mum and dad. Let them get to know Naomi properly." I chanced another look at Jenna, and saw that she bore this suggestion rather well, only biting her lip a tiny bit. Oh well, I guess that's my evening all mapped out: spending quality time with the family Fitch.

"No, you go Katie, I'm tired" answered Emily. I was surprised at that: she looked hyped-up from the show, and absolutely bursting with energy. Though I suddenly noticed that she hadn't gotten changed yet. The rest of us were already in our everyday clothes, but Emily was still dressed in her angel costume.

"You really should go" pushed Katie.

Then a very strange thing happened. Emily said two short words to Katie. At least I think she did, but I really couldn't tell you what those two words were – they weren't from any language that I've ever heard before. But Katie didn't seem puzzled at all.

"Yeah, alright" she conceded with a chuckle. "I guess it _was_ a pretty romantic speech." Then she turned to the others and began to shepherd them out of the theatre. In no time at all, I was alone with Emily and wondering what on earth was going on.

"What the fuck just happened?" I asked. Emily didn't answer - at least, not in words. But as I took in the hungry expression in her eyes, I knew that she wasn't tired in the slightest. She turned and walked, hips swaying seductively, into my dressing room. And giving in to my most natural instincts, I followed after my little angel. Belinda Carlisle knew what she was talking about: heaven really _is_ a place on earth.

* * *

I didn't see Justin again until a couple of days later. He snuck up on me as I was leaving the theatre alone – making me think that he had been spying on me, in order to get me by myself.

"What do you want?" I snapped, feigning a confidence that I could never feel in his presence.

"You've made your point, Moany" he said, softly. "With your little magic show." I frowned and crossed my arms, waiting for him to elaborate on his meaning. "You've had your fun. And you've shown everyone that you can make a go of it, for a little while at least. But it's time to come home now."

"I _am_ home" I insisted. He shook his head in that patronising way that I always used to hate.

"You know this won't last! None of it! The show has a bit of popularity now, but you know what showbiz is like – they'll want something different next week." He stepped closer and placed his hands protectively onto my arms. Somehow, I felt unable to shake him off. No matter how far I've ran from him, he still has the power to make me feel like a scared little girl. Unable to meet his eyes, I just stared down at the ground. "And do you think your little tart will hang around anymore, when you're no longer so famous?" I felt my body tense at his reference to Emily. "She'll be away before the magic wears off, and onto her next chance of stardom." Still I didn't say anything. I had to admit that I was curious to see where he was going with this – he was so far off the mark with Emily that it was almost laughable. "Naomi, you _know_ that you need me. Fame is temporary, but marriage lasts for ever." He didn't mean it as such, but that sounded so much like a threat to me.

His arguments were weak. Had I really let myself be manipulated by this man for so long?

"It's time to come home, where you belong" he insisted. "I've booked two tickets on a flight back to England this afternoon. Please say you'll come with me." Finally, I raised my eyes up to meet his. I saw no uncertainty in them at all – he was so convinced that I would just fall in with his wishes.

"Okay" I found myself saying, a plan forming in that very instant. "You're right, I suppose. It won't last, will it?" Justin shook his head sadly.

"No Naomi, it won't. You're just a novelty act. It's time to go back home. Perhaps start that family that you always wanted?" I wanted to retch at the thought of having his children, but I managed to suppress it. Instead I nodded tritely, playing at my old role of submissive wife. It wasn't that I wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine – I just wanted to shock him into realising that I was never going to change my mind. Ordinary tactics had failed, so it was time to use a language that he would understand - it was time to be underhanded.

* * *

That afternoon, Justin and I got a taxi to McLaren airport together. He still didn't suspect anything, although the game had almost been up when he reached to haul my suitcase into the boot. Fortunately I managed to grab it before he did. I didn't want him to notice how light it was – I couldn't be bothered to pack for real when I knew that I wasn't going anywhere.

As we walked towards the check-in desks, I spotted Cook strolling closer, his arms thrown across the shoulders of Emily and Katie. They sauntered nonchalantly towards us, exactly as I had asked them to. Katie was wearing a head-shawl and a huge pair of sunglasses in a failed bid to hide her identity, but I didn't care. I wanted Katie in my corner for this almost as much as I wanted Emily and Cook.

"What… what's going on?" Asked Justin as he spotted them. He was clearly thrown by their arrival, which was what I was hoping for. Cook flashed him a big grin.

"We came to wave you off! You didn't think we would let you leave without saying goodbye, did you?"

"Make it quick" snapped Justin to me, quickly regaining his composure. Spurred on by a sly wink from Emily, I chuckled at him.

"No Justin, I don't think I will" I said gently. He frowned at me.

"We need to get checked in, we're already running late!" I smiled sweetly, and tilted my head to one side.

"_I_ don't have to do anything. But _you_ have a plane to catch." His face scrunched up in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" He demanded. As he got angrier, I kept my own mood calmer and calmer.

"I'm not going back to England with you." I stepped closer to him and fixed my gaze firmly on his, so that he could see that I was serious. "Justin, I don't want you anymore. I don't love you, and I certainly don't need you." Justin spluttered, his bad temper getting the better of him.

"You're choosing _her_… over _me_?" He asked, pointing at Katie. He never had learnt which twin was which.

"No. I'm choosing her – well, actually I'm choosing her sister – over being alone. I already chose not to be with you four years ago."

"You're making a mistake! It won't last, any of it!" Seeing that my calm attitude was really riling him, I smiled even more broadly than before.

"But even if it doesn't, I _still_ don't want you. There is _nothing_ that will make me ever want you again. It's over."

"Naomi, please!" There was real emotion in his voice, and the threat of tears in his eyes – perhaps he was finally starting to believe me. "Naomi, you need me! You belong with me!"

"Actually, she belongs with me." Emily strolled forward and wrapped her arms protectively around me. Although her words were the same that Justin had used, I knew that she didn't mean them in a possessive way. I _did_ belong with her – every muscle and sinew in my body cried out to be with Emily.

"That fucking slut won't make you happy!" Snapped Justin, his face contorted with ugly anger.

"Right, I'm bored of this now." There was a flurry of movement. Before I really knew what was happening, Justin was on the ground clutching his nose. "It's time for you to fuck off, okay?" I stared at Katie, as I realised that she had just punched Justin in the face. He looked genuinely scared of her as he cowered on the floor. "_We_ are Naomi's family now. She's in love with my sister, and you're just some piece of shit that needs to get the fuck out of Vegas RIGHT NOW!" Justin climbed warily to his feet, and threw a questioning look in my direction.

"I want you to leave" I said firmly. "I want you to get on that plane, and don't come back. Then when you're home, I want you to sign those papers and give me a divorce." Something in my demeanour must have finally convinced him that I was serious. Either that, or it was the threatening way that Cook and Katie were clenching their fists.

"Well don't come crying to me when it all falls apart" he said, his words heavy with bitterness. He grabbed his luggage and turned towards the check-in desks. We watched from a distance while he checked in, then headed off towards passport control.

"You know there's nothing forcing him to get on that plane though, right?" Muttered Emily as Justin disappeared from view. I nodded, but somehow felt convinced that he was really going to leave.

"It doesn't matter though" I told her. "Whether he goes or stays doesn't matter, because he knows that I can stand up to him now." Emily's arms, still wrapped firmly around me, gave me a gentle squeeze.

"I'm so proud of you" she told me. I turned into her embrace and slid my arms around her shoulders.

"It was easy" I told her with a grin. "Why on _earth_ would I ever choose him, when I have a wonderful woman like you in my arms?" I leaned down and pressed my lips fervently to hers.

"Get a fucking room, you lezzers!" I broke from the kiss to give a dazzling smile to Katie.

"You love me really, Katie!"

"Urgh, no I don't" she snorted, but her lips were curved up into a smile.

"We're family now – that's what _you_ said!"

Katie shrugged, but didn't deny it. Instead, she turned towards the exit and began to walk away.

"Your sister loves me" I muttered in an undertone to Emily. She chuckled. "Just remind me to _never_ get her angry" I added.

* * *

**Well I hoped you liked that! Please let me know what you think!**


	32. Loaded

**Hello there! Okay, there seems to have been some confusion about this story: when I said that it was a good place to stop, I was only referring to stopping that last chapter. This fic isn't quite finished yet - although there is hardly much left to go now.**

**So in other news: As you probably all know by now, I met Miss Maraudeur in person! Her last-but-one update for Educating Naomi was even posted from the very sofa that I am sitting on right now. We had a great time, and I can tell you that she handles her broomstick like a natural born chaser! And just to give you all a hint: you are going to LOVE what she's done with the next chapter of Educating Naomi... just saying.**

**So on with this chapter. Try and spot a little cameo appearance in this one from a much-loved Skins character...**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Two: Loaded

Emily

The days began to pass by very quickly. Our show was a huge success – we were constantly sold out, as every one clamoured to see the hottest act on The Strip. I was still pretty much in hiding for the time-being, though. Our aim was to present the altered ending for a few weeks while we came up with a more permanent end to the show. Once we had done that, then I could return to having a more normal existence. Well, as normal as anything can be, in a city like Vegas.

Oddly enough, our secret was now much easier to keep than it was before. The logic of the press was somewhat surprising to me: they were willing to reveal my presence when it was a _complete_ secret, but now that it was revealed as the ending of the show, their consciences wouldn't allow them to spoil it. I couldn't understand it, but Naomi and Cook were not surprised by it.

Justin didn't make a reappearance, although I was constantly expecting him to. Naomi however, seemed less bothered about that possibility. Whenever I mentioned him, she just said that there was nothing he could do to hurt us. I knew she was right. Having finally stood up to him, Naomi had begun to gain more self-confidence. She was finally starting to give herself a little credit for all of her achievements. Whether Justin showed up again or not, I felt like his shadow had gone from over us once and for all.

Things settled into something of a routine, with each day very similar to the last. I should have known that things weren't likely to stay like that.

"Mornin' campers!" Beemed Cook, as he walked into the rehearsal room one morning. He held a folded newspaper up. "Looks like Freddie'll try anything to snatch some attention back from us!"

"What's he done?" Asked Naomi, a small hint of alarm in her voice. Cook grinned, and shook the paper open with a flair. It was a local newspaper, a one that liked to print any 'gossip' about the Vegas performers. Cook began to flick through the pages. He was quite a way through it before he found what he was looking for, so whatever it was, it clearly wasn't big news.

"Here we go." Cook cleared his throat importantly. "At the end of his show yesterday evening, the Marvellous McClair showed that he _too_ has a romantic side. To the delight of his audience, he went down on bended knee and proposed to his assistant Elizabeth Stonem. Miss Stonem, known in the show as the Enigmatic Effy, was quick to accept his proposal." Cook placed the paper on the floor so that we could all have a look. "Check it out! That's all the space they gave it. That and a crappy picture of the two of them." His face seemed full of glee at how little interest this announcement had garnered.

"Cook, are you okay?" Asked Naomi, hesitantly. Cook shrugged.

"Yeah, course I am!" Naomi stepped closer and placed a gentle hand on his arm. Cook shook his head. "I don't give a fuck about that bitch anymore!" He declared. He sounded like he meant it, but I don't know him as well as Naomi does. She didn't look convinced. Cook continued. "Look, if Freddie wants to go saddling himself with a wife, then that's his look-out, isn't it? But this just shows how desperate for attention they are!" Naomi chuckled.

"Yeah, it is a bit desperate, isn't it? Trying to copy _my_ big romantic gesture."

"What's a bit desperate?" Asked Katie, just arriving in the rehearsal room. With a sinking feeling, and unable to intervene, I watched as Cook pointed straight at the paper.

"Freddie! He's only gone and proposed to Effy at the end of his show!"

I braced myself for whatever was to come. I still didn't know exactly what had gone on between Freddie and Katie – or for that matter, if it was going on still – but something told me that this wouldn't be happy news for her.

"Cook!" Just too late, Naomi reached where I was at in my thoughts.

"Katie, I…" I stepped towards my sister, ready to offer comfort if it was needed. She was stood as still as a statue, her face unreadable.

"They've got engaged?" She asked, incredulous. Naomi nodded softly. Ignoring me, Katie stepped forward and snatched up the paper. She read it through frantically, her eyes darting back and forth across the page. "That fucking liar!" She snapped, scrunching her eyes closed. I moved closer and placed my hand on her shoulder.

"You never did tell us what happened with Freddie" I began, gently. She didn't seem to hear me. She opened her eyes, and frowned at the article again, as though hoping it would reveal more information.

"Right" she said softly, more to herself than to anyone else. "That bastard's not going to get away with this" she muttered, before throwing the paper aside and storming out of the room.

"Katie!" I called after her, but she was already gone.

"Sorry" said Cook, sheepishly. "I forgot that her and Freddie…" he shrugged. "What exactly _did_ happen between her and Freddie?" He asked. I shook my head.

"She never did tell me. She always made out like it was nothing, but…" I stared at the door that Katie just left by. How much _had_ there been between them?

* * *

"I'm sure she's okay." Naomi was trying her best to reassure me, but I couldn't stop worrying about Katie. We were both in my hotel room, having abandoned rehearsals for the day. We were trying to spend some quality time together, but I kept looking out of the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of my sister. "She seemed more… _angry_, than upset" mused Naomi. I nodded.

"Yeah, but that's how Katie hides things" I explained. "She never really lets things show much – she always bottles it up. Even when we were kids, she hardly ever cried. I was always the emotional one, and Katie was the strong one." I sighed, and moved to sit down on the bed next to my girlfriend. "Even when she split up with Scott, I didn't see her cry. She may have done so in private, but not to me."

"Does she _never_ cry?" Asked Naomi with concern.

"Yeah, sometimes. She cried when she found out that she couldn't have kids. Not straight away – it was a few days later. The implications of it just seemed to hit her all of a sudden, and she just let it all out." I sighed as I remembered that day: holding a sobbing Katie in my arms, and just wishing that I could take her pain away.

"But this thing with Freddie…" Naomi hesitated, not sure how best to phrase what she was thinking. I understood what she was getting at.

"Yeah, it doesn't seem as though she could have really fallen for him somehow, does it?" I muttered. There was something about the image of Katie being desperately in love with Freddie that just didn't seem accurate. I only hoped that I was right – that she wasn't heartbroken by his engagement.

"No, she's never seemed like she was in love with him" said Naomi. "I mean, she's _your_ sister, but to me she seemed like she was just pissed off more than anything, this morning." I nodded. Naomi had a point, but there was still a nagging though at the back of my mind that there was a little more to Katie's reaction than that. But try as I might, I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"So how's Cook?" I asked, trying to push Katie out of my thoughts, at least for a little while. Naomi shrugged.

"It's Cook. He doesn't really show things either."

I chuckled inwardly at the irony: I had spent practically all of my adult life hiding in the closet, and Naomi had spent the last four years running from her problems. Yet here we were, talking as if _we_ were the emotionally mature members of our group.

"I think he's alright" added Naomi, thoughtfully. "He accepted ages ago that he lost Effy to Freddie – them getting married doesn't really change anything."

"It probably won't change his chances of getting the odd shag from her" I said, thinking of the day that Naomi and Katie caught the two of them together in the rehearsal room. Naomi chuckled.

"I think that actually helped him to get over her, somehow" she added suddenly, clearly thinking about that same day. "Sounds kinda shallow, but… I think knowing that he can still screw her if he wants to…" I nodded, understanding what she meant. It _did_ sound shallow, but somehow not so shallow when it came to Cook. "It's not that he's _only_ after sex" added Naomi quickly, wanting to defend her best friend. "But it…"

"But sex _does_ feature pretty highly on his list of priorities" I suggested. Naomi nodded, and we both giggled.

After a moment, Naomi's face became serious again.

"Funny" she mused. "But it never featured very highly on my list of priorities." Her eyes darted away from me, like they so often did whenever she discussed her past. "I used sex to try and make me feel better about myself for a while, but it never worked."

"And before that?" I prompted. I didn't have any wish to know intimate details of her sex-life with Justin, but I had to admit to being a _little_ curious. Naomi shrugged, awkwardly.

"I wasn't really that bothered about it" she admitted. "I couldn't really see what all the fuss was about. I just figured that I wasn't that highly sexed."

I snorted at that. Ever since we had first slept together, I had found it practically impossible to keep Naomi's hands off me. She looked up at the noise, and her eyes met mine. A shy smile crept across her face.

"Please note that I used _past_ tense!" She insisted. "Everything changed when I met you."

"Glad I could help" I answered with a smirk. Naomi took my hand with hers.

"I mean it" she said sincerely. "You've changed _everything_ for me. I never knew what 'making love' was, before I met you. We don't just _fuck_ each other, we… I mean that when I'm with you I want to… I mean…" as her words dried up, I decided to plough in and rescue her. I closed the space between us, and pressed my lips to hers. She responded immediately, sliding her arms around me and pulling me closer.

"Emily, I love you so much" she breathed against my lips, before kissing me again. This time, the kiss deepened. I moaned as her tongue met mine. Who are we kidding? We can neither of us get enough of the other one – there's no point pretending any different.

We kissed with slow, but passionate kisses, our arms entwined around each other's waists. Then Naomi pulled slightly back from me. She raised a hand up to stroke my cheek, as she stared into my eyes.

"You are so gorgeous" she whispered, a hint of awe in her voice. She kissed me again, with a fervour that took my breath away. When we next broke apart, I found myself panting slightly for breath. One look at Naomi's reddened cheeks told me that she was getting as het up as I was.

Again she moved back to kiss me, as though she were starving and my lips were her nourishment. Fingers sought out skin, as things began to heat up even further. Clothes were slowly discarded, as all other thoughts and concerns fled from our minds. We began to lick and stroke and caress, showering adoration on each other's bodies.

* * *

After an afternoon spent in blissful abandonment, Naomi and I got dressed and returned to the real world. There was still a show to perform, after all.

We walked hand in hand into the backstage area of the theatre. Then we went our separate ways into our dressing rooms. Katie was already in ours, busy getting into costume.

"Katie, where've you been?" I asked, abruptly. She gave a casual shrug.

"Just had some stuff to do, that's all." All trace of her earlier anger was gone – she seemed like her normal self.

"Are you okay?" I asked, wanting to make sure. Katie threw me a questioning glance.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Her complete change of demeanour had me a little thrown.

"Well, just earlier… I mean, Freddie and Effy…"

Katie made a dismissive snort.

"I'm not heartbroken over that skinny little twerp, if that's what you're thinking!" She declared.

"No, I just thought…" I decided to try a different tack. "Where have you been all day, anyway?"

Katie switched her gaze to the mirror above the dressing table, and started to apply her make-up.

"I told you, I just had something to take care of." She paused, thoughtfully. "I had to deal with the garbage."

"But…"

"And anyway, I wasn't gone _all_ day - I came back around lunchtime." Her reflection caught my eye and smirked at me. "I was going to knock for you, but you sounded like you didn't want to be disturbed."

I blushed a little. I doubt that Naomi and I had been particularly quiet, earlier on. Katie sniggered as she noticed my embarrassment.

"I'm just glad that you've finally figured out what your fanny is for. Seriously, Ems – I used to think you were in training to become a nun!"

"Oye!" I snatched up a toy mascot, and threw it playfully at my sister. "Just because _you_ shag like you're practicing for an Olympic event, doesn't mean the rest of us have to!"

Katie gasped in pretended shock.

"Are you saying that I'm only shagging at an amateur level?" She demanded, haughtily.

"Would you rather be thought of as a pro?" I asked with a giggle.

"Hmm, not really!"

And so all attempts at a serious conversation were done away with. At least for the time being – I fully intended to try and find out a little bit more of what had been going on with Katie in recent weeks.

* * *

The show was another roaring success. We had three encores before the audience finally let us go and began to file out of the theatre. Then the four of us went to get changed in our dressing rooms. Afterwards, we all collected together backstage. A few of the stage-hands were still hanging around, huddled together in conversation. At least I didn't have to hide from them anymore, now that I was revealed in the show.

"What's going on? Why haven't you got this stuff tidied up?" Asked Naomi, noticing that the crew had left-off part way through getting the things from the show put away. Immediately they split apart like a flock of startled birds, and continued with their work.

"Sorry Naomi" said the one who was in charge, and who ordinarily didn't allow any slacking-off. "We were just talking about the news. You know – about McLair."

Naomi frowned at him.

"You were talking about his engagement? I didn't take you guys for being so romantic!"

The gaffer shook his head sadly.

"No, not that. You won't of heard yet - it happened while you were onstage. I've got a friend who works back-stage on their show – I just spoke to him."

"What happened?" Demanded Cook, stepping closer. All four of us gave the man our full attention.

"There was an accident" he told us. "During his final trick."

"The bullet catch" breathed Naomi.

"Yeah, something went wrong. Instead of catching the bullet, McLair got shot."

We stared around at each other, all of us struck dumb with shock.

"He's dead?" Asked Katie, in an anguished voice. The gaffer shook his head.

"No, he's still alive. He's been taken to hospital."

"What exactly happened?" Asked Naomi in a quiet voice. The gaffer shrugged.

"It's not really clear, yet. His assistant fired the gun, and he collapsed to the stage holding his face. Apparently, there was blood everywhere."

"Oh my God!" Katie staggered a little. Her face looked distinctly green.

"That's not all" added the gaffer. His voice held a slight hint of enjoyment at being able to deliver such dramatic news. "The audience panicked when it happened. They all tried to make for the exits at the same time, and caused a massive crush."

"People in the audience were hurt?" Asked Naomi in horror. A nod from the gaffer.

"Yeah, quite a few of them. Just minor injuries mostly, but one woman was hurt pretty badly. She's the niece of the guy who owns that hotel – her name's Mandy something-or-other. Apparently she fell down between the aisles but she's freakishly tall, and couldn't get back up again. She ended up getting trampled on. Anyway, she's mashed up pretty badly – my mate said her own mother wouldn't recognise her, now. They reckon she'll be drinking soup through a straw for the foreseeable future."

Naomi, Cook and I all exchanged agonised looks. None of us new exactly what to say. Sure, we had been rivals with Freddie and Effy, but we had no wish for things to end like this. I glanced across at Katie to see how she was bearing the news. She looked like she was going to be sick. None of us looked in good shape, but she looked positively dreadful.

"That's so awful" she muttered to herself. I was on the point of moving closer to give her some comfort, when I heard the beep of a text message. As we all watched, the gaffer dragged his mobile from his pocket. Phones were supposed to be always switched off back-stage, but none of us were going to reprimand him at a time like this. He read the message, then gave a gleeful chuckle. Why do some people take a genuine delight in others misfortunes?

"The police have got the whole theatre in lock-down now" he informed us. "They're talking about sabotage. Somebody's done that to him deliberately, and they're going for attempted murder."

"Fuck." The word was muttered softly, and it came from Katie. I stared at her. Her eyes met mine, and she held my gaze for a few seconds before looking away. She looked tormented, and - was I mistaken? Or were her eyes also filled with remorse?

* * *

**Well I hope that was worth waiting for! Please let me know what you thought of that.**


	33. Bullet With Butterfly Wings

**Hi there! Hope everyone is ok. I didn't want to take too long over this update, as there is hardly any left of this fic to write now. I want to get it finished off soon if possible - hopefully before the end of the year.**

**To K: This was my half of the bargain! Get writing...**

**And to everyone reading this: I hope you enjoy it.**

**Myrtle**

* * *

Chapter Thirty Three: Bullet With Butterfly Wings

Naomi

We were stunned. None of us knew what to say, none of us knew how to react.

"You see?" Insisted Cook. "I told you there was a fucking curse on the bullet catch trick!"

There was a sharp intake of breath.

"Oh my God!" Emily stepped closer to me and took my hand. "That was going to be _your_ trick! It could have been you!"

I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"But it _wasn't_ me. And this was nothing to do with any curse – it was sabotage. This wouldn't have happened to _me_ because I haven't done anything to get anybody that angry!" Involuntarily, I found my eyes drawn straight to Katie. She had been particularly pissed off with Freddie this morning. And she had disappeared for the whole day, offering no explanation of her whereabouts. My eyes scanned her face with what I hoped was a casual look. I didn't like what I saw there one little bit. She looked sick – none of us looked exactly happy, but Katie looked by far the worse of all of us. And there was something else in her expression that looked distinctly like guilt to me. Surely she couldn't have…

I felt awful for even thinking it about her.

"Listen" I began carefully, speaking not just to Katie, but also including Emily and Cook. "Whatever's happened, _we_ have to stick together, okay? We're a team, and no matter what…" Katie wasn't listening.

"I'm going to bed" she muttered sadly. Before I could intervene or say anything more, she walked out of the theatre.

"Katie, wait!" Emily called after her sister in vain – she had no intention of stopping. She turned back to me. "I'd better go after her, see if she's okay." She pressed her lips firmly to mine in a tender kiss, so full of feeling. Then she turned and followed swiftly after her sister.

"I doubt I'll be asleep any time soon" I called after her. "So come along to my room after you've spoken to Katie if you want to." Emily paused briefly to nod.

"Yeah, I might well do" she told me with a warm smile. Then she was gone.

"The curse strikes again" muttered Cook, as the two of us also made our way out of the theatre.

"Don't be silly" I hissed. "This wasn't a curse! This was a flesh and blood person. Somebody did this to him, and that somebody…" I sighed. "Whoever it was will have to face up to the consequences of what they've done."

* * *

Emily didn't come to my room that night - I didn't see her until the following morning. I was heading towards the theatre when I saw her buying pastries at a shop within the hotel. She gave me a sad smile in greeting.

"I hoped it was all a mistake" she said, nodding at a stand of newspapers. They all had Freddie's accident on the front page.

"Did you speak to Katie last night?" I asked her as we fell into step with each other. Emily shook her head.

"No. I knocked on her door, but she wouldn't let me in. Just said she wanted to be alone."

We entered the rehearsal room in silence. I was wondering how best to bring up the subject that had kept me awake all night. It wasn't going to be an easy thing to tackle.

"What's up?" Asked Emily, noticing my frown. Perhaps I should just go for broke.

"Do you think… Might Katie of…" I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Could Katie have been… _involved_ in the accident at all?" I asked at length. I watched as my girlfriend's brow creased.

"_Involved?_"

"Look, something's been going on between her and Freddie. And yesterday…" I paused as Emily shook her head firmly.

"No."

"Emily, she was really pissed off with him!"

"So you think she tried to _kill_ him?"

I hesitated.

"…Well, maybe not…"

"Katie wouldn't _do_ that! Trust me, it's not her style!"

"I know, but…"

Emily was not to be interrupted.

"Besides, you're forgetting something: We're British! Katie wouldn't know one end of a gun from the other – let alone where to get ammo from, or how to load it!"

"I've been thinking about that" I explained, gently. "I don't think it was a bullet that fired at him." Emily frowned at me, so I explained what I had been thinking. "There was a magician injured once – this was years ago – doing the bullet catch. He had a member of the audience examine the gun, and the person he chose dropped a button into the barrel. I guess they wanted to see if he really could catch it. It was fired at his face, and left him scarred for life."

"So you think a button was dropped into the gun?" She asked with a frown. I shrugged.

"I don't know anything for certain. But whoever did this to Freddie might not have meant to kill him. They probably didn't even realise how dangerous their actions were - maybe they just wanted to frighten him."

Emily shook her head slowly.

"No, I don't believe _that_." She sighed and slumped into a seat. "This was truly malicious. _Anything_ fired from a gun has the potential to kill someone – they _must_ have known that."

"Not necessarily" I persevered. "And Katie looked really guilty last night." A look of consternation crossed Emily's face, and I knew that she had seen what I had. "You saw that, didn't you?"

"Yes." She gave the slightest of nods. "But I was watching her – she only looked like that _after_ we heard that it was sabotage. If she'd been involved, then she would have already known that it was deliberate."

"So if it wasn't Katie…" My sentence was cut short by the arrival of the lady herself into the rehearsal room, closely followed by Cook.

"If _what_ wasn't Katie?" She asked breezily. I froze, certain that _I_ was the one looking guilty in that moment. Katie frowned at me and crossed her arms. "If WHAT wasn't Katie?" She demanded more forcibly.

"We were talking about Freddie…"

"And you thought _I_ did it?" She asked, her voice full of angry disbelief.

"No!" I shouted quickly. "Well, I just thought…"

"For fucks sake, Naomi! Do you really think I want to go to prison over that bell-end? No way! I've seen American prisons on TV: can you imagine _my_ complexion in one of those orange jumpsuits?"

I had to chuckle at that.

"Sorry Katie. I'm just trying to figure our what happened."

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked, with a curl of her lip. I just stared at her. Katie sighed in exasperation. "Well plainly, it was Effy!"

"Effy?"

"No way!" Burst out Cook.

Katie nodded sagely.

"Of course it was Effy. I know Freddie's a bit of a numpty, but he's hardly going to be stupid enough to leave a dangerous prop from his show lying around where anyone can fiddle with it, is he?"

She had a point, but I still wasn't convinced.

"But Effy and Freddie just got engaged. Why would she try to kill him?"

"Because she found out…" Katie hesitated. Suddenly, her sure-of-herself demeanour was gone, and that look of guilt was back. Emily and I exchanged curious glances.

"Katie, it's okay" said Emily gently.

"I think you'd better tell us everything that happened" I added, trying not to sound at all confrontational. "We just want to help, if we can." I moved across the room and took a seat next to Emily. Katie shot us both a grateful smile. Cook also took a seat, ready to listen.

"Okay." She took a deep breath and averted her eyes from ours. "Effy shot him because she found out that he'd cheated on her."

"With you?" Asked Emily, simply. Katie nodded.

"Yeah. Freddie lied to me. He always said that they weren't a real couple any more – that it was all for show. So when I saw that they'd gotten engaged, I knew it'd just been more of his lies, so…"

"…So you went straight round there and told her" I finished. Katie was suddenly defensive.

"I didn't know the crazy bitch would try to kill him! How was I supposed to know that she has an 'inner-psycho'?"

Katie's guilt suddenly made sense to me – she hadn't done anything _herself_ to Freddie, but she had provided Effy with the motive.

"You're not to blame!" I insisted. "Effy's responsible for her _own_ actions!" Katie sighed again.

"I suppose so."

"Hey, we don't know she's done it, yet!" Argued Cook, but no-one was listening to him.

"Katie, this wasn't your fault" added Emily.

"I know, it's just… I've been such an idiot."

Something told me that she wasn't referring to her confession to Effy. I suddenly realised that I still had loads more questions than answers.

"So how long had you been seeing Freddie for?" I asked.

"It was already over" insisted Katie. I tried another route.

"When did it start?"

"The night of our opening show." Her voice was full of shame. "I bumped into him in the nightclub we went to, following the after-show party. You remember I'd met him before then, right?" She looked imploringly at us. Emily and I nodded. I certainly did remember that Katie had met Freddie before any of us knew about his rival show. At the time, I had been convinced that their meeting wasn't a coincidence. Katie continued. "Well, this time I was hyped up, 'cause of the show. I was horny, and he was being so lovely to me… so I fucked him." She said it so matter-of-factly. "And it was fun, so I saw him a couple of other times after that." Her expression darkened suddenly. "Until I realised that he was only interested in me for what he could find out about the show. He kept asking me all these little questions, you know? God, I felt like such an idiot when I worked it out!"

"Katie, you're not the only woman to let herself be manipulated for the sake of a man" I consoled. Katie sniggered.

"Well you've hardly…" her words dried up. She was no doubt planning on pointing out that, as a lesbian (she never did remember that I'm actually bi-sexual), I had never been used by a man. That is until she remembered about my recently departed ex husband.

"So you ended it?" Asked Emily, hurriedly.

"No." Katie rubbed distractedly at the bridge of her nose, and wouldn't meet our gaze again.

"No?"

"Nobody uses _me_ like that!" Answered Katie, forcibly. "So I turned the tables on him. I decided to do the same thing that he tried to do, and find out all of _their_ secrets."

"You slept with him to find out his secrets?" Asked Emily with thinly camouflaged distain. Katie smirked at her sister.

"Not exactly. I had no intention of fucking him again, but _he_ didn't know that." She laughed at the memory. "It was pretty funny, stringing him along like that – making him think that I wanted to, then suddenly getting a headache. Sometimes I told him that the fucking 'ambiance' wasn't right! He spent a shit-load on candles!"

"Prick-tease!" Mocked Emily with a giggle. Katie shrugged.

"Well, I wanted to know how Effy does that mind-reading thing! And guys will do anything if they think there's a shag in it for them."

Cook leapt to his feet.

"Hey! That's not fair!" He insisted, indignantly. The three women in the room all turned to him with bemused expressions on our faces. Cook grinned cockily at us. "Nah, just kidding. You're totally right, I just felt like I should speak out in defence of men!" We all giggled.

"So how does she do it?" I asked, my mind instantly snapping back to Effy's mind-reading. That particular effect had me baffled.

"I've no idea" admitted Katie, glumly.

"You couldn't get him to spill?" Asked Emily.

"Oh yeah. I had him wrapped around my finger in no time. But it turned out that he doesn't even _know_ anything. He's got no idea how Effy does her mind-reading thing, and all of their other stuff is worked out by JJ. _He's_ the one with the magical knowledge."

"Right, so if we can get you fixed up for a date with JJ…" I teased. Katie sneered with disgust.

"Fuck off! There's no way I'm gonna start flirting with that mong! A girl's got to have _standards_ you know!"

"I'm glad to hear it!" I told her with a laugh.

"So anyway, I ended it ages ago" continued Katie. "As soon as I realised that he didn't know anything useful. But when I saw that him and Effy were engaged, I just thought… well, I realised that he must have been seeing her still, the whole time he was seeing me. And I didn't think he should get away with it, so I went and told Effy."

"How did she take it?" Asked Cook. That seemed an odd question, given the fact that she had tried to blow Freddie's brains out. Katie shrugged.

"She seemed okay about it. It didn't even seem to bother her very much, as far as I could see. I'm telling you – that girl's got some seriously deep shit going on in her head!"

"I'd better go see her" said Cook, sadly. He made his way towards the door.

"Why? Cook, you don't owe her anything!" I argued.

"It's not about owing her anything, I just… I gotta see her" he said with a sigh, before walking out of the room.

"Cook!" I called, but he wasn't going to stop. I didn't like this pull over him that Effy still seemed to command. She was clearly a dangerous woman – even more so than we had previously imagined – and I didn't want my best friend to get mixed up with her again.

"You'd better go with him" said Emily. I turned to face the twins, uncertain if I should go, or stay to make sure that Katie was okay.

"Katie, are you…"

"I'm fine" she insisted, fiercely. "Just go make sure that bitch doesn't get her claws into Cook again." I hesitated just briefly, before concluding that Emily was by far the best person to ensure that Katie was really okay. I nodded curtly, before following after Cook.

He was halfway along The Strip before I caught up with him. He marched with a purpose towards the hotel that was home to Freddie's show.

"Cook, you should just stay out of it" I tried to reason. "If Effy really is responsible, then…" My words dried up as Cook stopped abruptly. I glanced along the street to see what he was looking at. Ahead of us were two police cars, parked outside of the hotel we were heading towards.

"Shit." Cook was moving again, this time running quickly. I had to pump my legs pretty hard to keep pace with him. We reached the hotel to find a crowd of curious tourists eagerly craning their necks to see what was going on. Cook and I pushed our way through them all and made our way into the hotel's casino. From there, we headed straight towards the theatre.

The doors to the theatre were taped shut with black and yellow police tape. In front of them, we found what we were looking for. There was a solemn-looking Effy, being addressed by a couple of police officers. As we stepped closer, we could hear one of them reading Effy her rights.

"Don't say anything, Eff!" Instructed Cook. At the sound of his voice, Effy glanced up and saw us. A smirk crossed her lips.

"Next time I'll kill the bastard, eh Cook?"

"Shut the fuck up!" Hissed Cook, moving nearer. I moved alongside him and placed a warning hand on his arm. I didn't want him to start throwing his weight around with the cops and getting himself arrested. "I'll get a lawyer sorted out for you" he told Effy. "Don't say another word 'til he gets there, okay?" Then Cook took a closer look at the officer arresting her. "Mac? What's going on?" He asked, as he recognised him as one of his drinking mates. Mac gave him a tight smile.

"Oh, hey Cook. We searched the stage and found this." He held up a small plastic evidence bag. Inside it was a solitaire diamond ring covered in blood. "We figured she dropped it into the gun barrel before shooting it at him."

"Your engagement ring?" I asked Effy in amazement. It was almost like she _wanted_ to get caught.

"If it had been any bigger, it would probably have killed him" pondered Mac. Effy gave a sudden burst of humourless laughter.

"See Cook!" She exclaimed. "You always said Freddie was a skin-flint, and you were right. Now it's gone and saved the stupid fucker's life!"

"Effy, keep your fucking mouth shut" hissed Cook. Then he frowned and looked around. "Where's JJ?" He demanded of Effy. It was Mac who answered.

"He's down the station, helping us with some enquiries."

"Is he under arrest?"

Mac shook his head.

"No, we think there was only one person involved in this" he said grimly, looking at Effy with an appraising glance. As he began to lead her away, Cook made to follow after them.

"Hey" I said gently. He gave me a rueful smile.

"I'm gonna sort out a lawyer for her, okay?" He insisted. "Then I'll follow them down to the station, see if I can help them."

"Cook, she's not your problem anymore."

"Don't worry Blondie!" Cook flashed me his trade-mark grin, and tugged me into a one-armed hug. "I don't feel responsible for her, I just want to help her out. JJ too. He's still a mate."

"You promise you're not going to fall for Effy again?" I asked. He shook his head solemnly.

"Nah mate. D'ya think I want to get a diamond ring in the face to match Freddies? No, this…" he pointed to his own face. "…is far too handsome to risk."

I nodded, then watched as he walked out of the hotel after Effy. I sighed, feeling suddenly tired after all of the drama. I decided that I should head back, and tell the twins what had happened**.**

* * *

**So there we go - it wasn't Katie that arranged**** Freddie's accident. Incidentally: the story about a magician getting hit by a button is true. There really is supposed to be a curse on the bullet-catch trick!**

**Thoughts, comments, questions? They can all go in that little box down there!**


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